By George Haerle
For The Daily World
There are plenty of positive things to say about “La La Land” to argue for it being a well-made movie. A hybrid of a classic Hollywood musical crossed with modern flair, Emma Stone (Mia) and Ryan Gosling (Sebastian) are great as an adorable couple that meets in modern day L.A., both chasing their dreams.
The problem is, you either have to really like classic musicals — a lot — and/or buy into the naivety of the cutesy, almost gag-inducing portrayal of Southern California’s entertainment industry. If you are fine with this, you’ll enjoy “La La Land” — as long as you can handle its more-bland-than-white-bread plot.
She’s an aspiring actress; he wants to be a jazz-revival musician. Mia and Sebastian cross paths a couple of times, but heads, only to realize they like each other, fall in love, love is bliss, they have problems, relationship is peril, and then one of the characters has to rush urgently to the other so they can save their future. It’s that cliché, and even the third act is pretty predictable if you have seen enough rom-coms and dramas.
The movie’s strong point is its leading cast: Emma Stone’s Mia is full of spunk and determination, pulling over her musical/dance numbers perfectly and giving an engrossing and endearing performance. Ryan Gosling’s Sebastian is amusingly snarky, old-fashioned and borderline hipster. But beyond that, their characters have depth that is all too familiar and, although plenty likable, there is nothing about them that is very memorable or exceptional.
The musical numbers are good, not great, with absolutely forgettable choreography. The opening is kind of fun with a big number on I-5 in the middle of L.A. That’s about as much as there is to say. Not a single song in the movie can I remember after the movie, unlike every brilliant song from “Moana” I’ve had stuck in my head for the past two months.
So why has “La La Land” gotten so much critical acclaim, having garnered dozens of nominations and various wins among the multitudes of redundant Hollywood back-patters and various awards shows?
Because it, like many Oscar-winning films, is a self-serving ode to Hollywood by Hollywood, glamorizing a falsely perpetuated vision of the entertainment industry that simply doesn’t exist.
“La La Land’s” Los Angeles is a happy place of nostalgia, where any barista can get an audition, and all you have to do is follow your dreams! And while there is something of an examination of the possibility two people in love striving to follow their dreams, it’s third act doesn’t leave any kind of impact that will really make you think much about it after your leave the theater. It feels like you just took a two-hour soak in tepid bath water.
Having to be an upbeat musical, it’s understandable that “La La Land” doesn’t portray that dingier, darker side of “the land of the lotus eaters,” but it wouldn’t have been hard to incorporate these aspects in impactful ways, making the characters’ struggles through the entertainment industry in the bitterly beautiful L.A. sprawl more challenging to their relationship, while adding more intrigue and emotional heft to their love story.
Apparently there are little-to-no sleazy producers, agents, intellectual thieves, real thieves, pornographers, weirdos, homeless, smog, drugs, prostitutes, scummy land lords, gang members or any kind of general unpleasantness in Los Angeles aside from that annoying wait until you finally get that entertainment gig!
“La La Land” is the film version of sensationalist made-up Facebook news. It’s been “liked” so many times that it just has to be awesome!
Don’t believe the hype. “La La Land” perpetuates an obnoxiously false façade about the entertainment industry (and modern relationships) in the land where the misfit is king.
Coming from someone who considered taking up screenwriting, once you research and discover the INSANE amount of hell one has to go through to even become a candidate for a candidate to becoming a novice at anything in L.A., “La La Land” develops a kind of repulsiveness to it. How many people utterly fail, the Catch-22s of writers’ and actors’ unions, the influence of vile producers and casting agents, or the seedy back-door deals required in order to get anywhere are non-existent here, only adding to how manufactured the whole production feels.
Author’s note: For an authentic Los Angeles/Hollywood viewing experience that will keep you engrossed the entire time — unlike “La La Land” — turn on Showtime and watch the first season of “Californication.” (Viewer discretion advised.) You’ll enjoy the many hours of viewing more than the two hours you’ll spend watching “La La Land.”
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“La La Land” is currently playing at the Riverside Cinemas, 1017 S. Boone St. in Aberdeen.
George Haerle holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing for media and lives in Cosmopolis.
