If Dreams Were Jazz

“La La Land” (2016) — movie review
Today’s review is for the romantic / musical “La La Land” starring Ryan Gosling as Sebastian “Seb” Wilder (an aspiring jazz pianist), Emma Stone as Mia Dolan (an aspiring actress).
Basic plot:  Seb and Mia are two of the many people in Los Angeles seeking to achieve their dreams – Seb to play Jazz piano and Mia to be an actress.  Both are struggling to make ends meet – let alone be successful.  The meet in a traffic jam and then again randomly for a while before they decide “fate” is pushing them together.  They start dating and sharing their dreams.  Blah, blah, blah…  Lots of dancing and music later, they break up to follow their dreams and ultimately, both do achieve the “dream”.  They randomly meet several years after breaking up and we are shown what “might-have-been” in a dream / alternate timeline.  Both snap out of their dream state and the movie ends.
So, is this movie any good?  How’s the acting?  The dancing?  The music?  The drama?  And, finally, is this movie worth your time?  Yes;  good;  okay;  okay;  so-so;  and yes.
Any good:  This movie won lots of awards (Oscars and others internationally).  It actually tied for most Oscar nominations (14) but “only” got six actual wins.  This was my first time viewing the film.  As my family put it: “I finally crawled out of my cave.”  So, there’s all of that…  Did I like the film?  It was “okay”.  I didn’t really know anything about the film and I was expecting a romantic drama or a rom-com.  I was NOT expecting a musical.  One freeway dance / musical number opening scene and I knew I wasn’t going to be in Kansas anymore (or “Oklahoma” / “South Pacific” either).
How’s the acting / dancing:  I like Gosling and have seen him in a number of roles.  I used to get him confused with Bradley Cooper and I’m still not sure which is better looking or which is the more talented actor.  As for their dancing, I’d say Cooper is a muscular Gene Kelly to Gosling’s smoother Fred Astaire.  Stone plays the vulnerable “lip-biter” she always does…  I’m not a big fan, and I’m not sure why.  Stone won the “Best Actress” Oscar for this role, so that show’s how much I know…
The music:  “City of Stars” won the “Best Original Song” Oscar, but, again, I’m struggling to remember any of the songs or music from this movie and I JUST watched it.  I am NOT a big jazz music fan.  I don’t start out “hating” Jazz, as Stone’s character proclaims.  It just doesn’t interest me that much.  Still music is fluid and I lack the experience level to say if this movie’s music was good or great.  I will say I enjoyed the Jazz piano significantly more than any of the singing or dance numbers.  I also enjoyed “Audition” more than “City of Stars“.
Drama:  Since I entered the movie thinking this was going to be a “love story”, I was disappointed by the ending (they followed their two paths to completely independent ends).  That’s just the romantic in me speaking, though.  If this was to be the film’s ending, I’d have preferred something other than one person dreaming and then the couple smiling and parting (forever).  I kind of felt like I’d just watched the closing (“Snowball”) scene from “St. Elsewhere” again.  LoL  Anyone under 40 years of age and reading this will have to Google “St. Elsewhere” and the ending scene to know what I’m referencing.
Worth Your Time:  This is a good movie!  It really is.  It just isn’t to my taste and I can accept that.  Maybe on another day, in a different mood, I’ll like it more.  Realistically, ANY movie which garners over ten Oscar nominations and wins over three is almost certainly a VERY good movie.  And this movie did better than that on both measures.
Final recommendation:  Moderate to strong.  This was a very popular movie in it’s day.  It’s still (seven years later) a touchstone for a lot of younger people.  So, I’ll give it a “moderate” for me and a “strong” for most other people.  After all, ANY movie which receives Academy Awards Nominations for:  Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (for Stone), Best Actor (for Gosling), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song (“City of Stars“), a second nomination for Best Original Song (“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)“, Best Production Design, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing is almost certainly going to worth your time to see.  I guess I’m a happy ending kind of guy;  not a bittersweet ending kind of guy.
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On This Day In:
2022	Maybe We Should Start Over?
	Fesley (Mostly) Full Scale (Electric) Strat Style Guitar (G.A.S. == 9)
2021	Born Again
	Begin Writing (Unwritten)
2020	Nah… I’m Still Chuckling
	Squeaking By With “C’s” (Letter To Me)
2019	Consider Me A Phony
2018	Last
	Day 10: Double Digits
2017	Could You Repeat The Question?
2016	Still Busy?
2015	Why, Just This Morning…
2014	Just Kindness
2013	Now Shaking
2012	Absurdity, n.
2011	Minor Changes
	Things I’ve Learned From Life – Nana Carter
	Acting Out

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A Smooth Oldie

Take Five
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On This Day In:
2022	We Need To Provide More Outlets
2021	Don’t Forget Luck
	A Smooth Oldie (Take Five)
2020	Plumbers, Philosophers Or Presidents
2019	Watching
2018	Even #45 Shall Pass To Sand
2017	Shedding Light
	In The Neighborhood
2016	The Responsibility Of Freedom
2015	Face It
	Birdfight
2014	Honoring Firefighters
2013	And Never Will
2012	The Human Adventure Continues
2011	Almost Never

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