LA LA LAND
Director Damien Chazelle
Cert 12A 128 minutes
Picture a multi-lane highway with traffic at a standstill under a blazing sun and a young woman getting out of her car and beginning to sing and dance. And then others join in, not merely dancing but gambolling, leaping and tumbling over car roofs and bonnets. That is the joyous opening sequence of the much acclaimed new film musical La La Land.
When the music stops and the cars begin to move, a minor road-rage incident brings in a strand of reality. This is Los Angeles (LA) where they love a big opening number – everybody sings and acts and dances – but meanwhile thousands of thin, beautiful Hollywood wannabees dream of making it, attend auditions and hope for call-backs. We meet two such, played by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling: Mia, an aspiring actress-cum-playwright who works in a coffee shop and Sebastian, a talented jazz pianist who makes a buck playing tacky tunes in restaurants and bars. So far, so Hollywood cliché.
