By Jackie Shannon
Already generating potential Oscar buzz, La La Land is writer/director, Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to his critically lauded drama, Whiplash. Though it claims to take its cues from Hollywood’s old-school musicals (but not in a bad way), it looks more like One From The Heart and New York, New York to us, which is not a bad thing…unless you’re the one bankrolling the film. But maybe audiences have finally caught up with those two ahead-of-their-time curios, with the feel around La La Land decidedly upbeat.
So reads the official synopsis: Set in the starry-eyed metropolis of Los Angeles, Emma Stone plays aspiring actress Mia, while Ryan Gosling is struggling jazz musician, Sebastian. The pair fall in love, and before they know it, their hopes and dreams are intertwined in a fully-fledged romance. But just as the city brings them together, LA threatens to tear them apart. In the cutthroat world of entertainment, Mia and Sebastian struggle to forge their own identities, and soon discover the greatest challenge they face is balancing art and love.
Like most musicals (hello, Moulin Rouge!), we’re sure that La La Land will be a love-it-or-hate-it affair…
