Me in the cinema except I was cold and not Emma Stone
There was something different about La La Land to other movie musicals I've seen. And trust me, I've seen a lot. Many other movie musicals - since they are usually based off a piece that was on stage originally - try to introduce the audience to the world and characters in a very exposition-y way. Think of Into the Woods, where the first 15 minutes is a long song describing all the main characters and their situations. Or Les Miserables, where the main character's situation and his dynamic with the antagonist is established in song one.
Ryan Gosling looks different
La La Land opens with a stunning ensemble number, that feels reminiscent of the retro movie musicals than anything that has come out in the last ten years or so. It feels very Little Shop of Horrors, but less depressing. The whole musical is drenched in beautiful colour, blocking, and music.
Nothing in this movie is accidental. You can see the love and passion that has gone into every single note of every song, every single scene, every single acting choice. I am listening to the soundtrack as I write this, and Emma Stone singing "here's to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem" embodies every reason why I - and countless others - dream big in the arts, a career path that is often seen as more foolish than a solid one. As Stone's character Mia says, "I should have been a lawyer."
La La Land touches on something special about why we create, why we dare to dream when the world is constantly telling us "no". Because without art, without song and dance, the world is not colourful and fun. I love the world of the musical because song can express that passion we often feel that words cannot.
I believe the world of the stage and screen can be intimately connected, as in La La Land, and in fact many animations. Blocking must be considered, the way that characters are viewed and shown to the audience. Colour, too, is a huge element of storytelling that La La Land did not fail to realise. There is no one constant colour scheme, such as in Fantastic Mr. Fox, where the world is a warm yellow-orange. It instead takes the brightest colours and throws them onto the canvas of the screen, using the bright shades to bring out the most heightened moments and saving the pastels and softer tones for more intimate moments.
La La Land takes everything you think you know about the musical and remixes it. It is Singing In The Rain, The Wizard of Oz, and Midnight in Paris all at once.
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