*may contain spoilers
Ice cream, hot fudge and a warm brownie was my delicious dessert before adding the cherry on top which is the latest Hollywood sensation "La La Land". Seriously, I loved it. I loved it so much I walked in the door and said to my husband "I want to write a paper about it. I want to critique it." He laughed at me, of course. This is silly; this is not necessary. I graduated from college 11 yrs ago and haven't felt the need to write a paper after a performance in a very long time. But I'm an adult and this is one of the perks. I get to do what I want and post it on the internet.
First of all, I would say this movie is yellow. Yes, definitely yellow, well, the first half at least. After that it becomes more hombre and takes on a more sky blue feel, think back to the color of her sweater after the storytelling audition. During the opening sequence I began contemplating what I would wear on that highway exit. I loved the variety of colors, hair styles and shoes. I noticed two different women in yellow dresses. I wanted to be them. I wanted to wear a dress as bright as the day of sun. The sunny feel continued throughout the scenes: the dance with her friends through the apartment, the poolside, the glow on her face as she raced towards the movie theater. The change in hue came as she spoke on the phone to her mother and he to spoke to (the always fabulous) John Legend. Their dreams shifted: she quit her job and began to write, he accepted a new form of jazz. The mood continued to shift during their very real conversation at dinner, later her disappointment, and then her rejection of his apologies. The sky came back into view as he blared his horn outside her home. Her hope returned and she gave it one last shot. Her pale blue sweater was soft and comfortable. She needed to be comfortable with who she was and stop pretending to be someone else. She told of sweet memories that are unique to her existence. She shared a piece of her soul, only then did she become a success. Only then could she soar higher. We fast forward and find life is still beautiful even though it is different than one might expect. Joy is found in love and family. Happiness is achieved and dreams are fulfilled. Seb's is a glorious sky blue atmosphere, it is lively and full of music. And our lovers are afforded one last smile as they contemplate what "could have been". The film ends and all is well.
Mia wore beautiful dresses. Sebastian wore handsome suits. She only wore pants on a handful of occasions and her last audition was one of those. Her pants represent her strength. Mind you I don't find dresses weak, but pants are often a sign of command and power. Think of "wearing the pants in the family" for instance. In art nothing is "just because". In art the details matter, the details are why we like it. I loved those girls in yellow dresses. But in truth I probably would've been wearing jeans, my black converse with daisies on them and a funky headband. I would've been the first to jump on the hood of my car and my darling husband would've rolled his eyes at me. We love movies that we can correlate with life and I actually break into song and dance on a regular basis so this was not a stretch for me.
The dancing was ok. I usually love Mandy Moore (the choreographer, not the singer). But I was a bit underwhelmed. That's all I'll say about that.
Lastly, I love Casablanca. "Here's lookin' at you, kid." If you have not had the pleasure of watching Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman fall in love and then.......well, I won't give it away. Here's my point: Mia mentions the movie twice early on in the movie. Can we say foreshadowing?! He has a club. They have a special song between them. And the final goodbye. La La Land is the modern day Casablanca.
This movie may not be for everyone, but it is definitely for me. ✩✩✩✩
