With all the buzz about LaLa Land, I, of course, had to go see it. What a letdown it was for me. I expected an exciting, interesting, well-acted, show biz experience and got a so-so story with average acting instead.
Ryan Gosling is to be applauded for learning to play the piano for his character, but he’s so laidback that he’s almost asleep at the wheel. Emma Stone learned how to dance for her character, and it is obvious that she’s not really a dancer. The story is supposed to be an exciting give-and-take between the two main characters, but it just doesn’t make it to that level. There are moments that are sweet, but mostly the conflict just didn’t come across as conflict to me.
This is the second movie in a row for which I had high expectations based on the buzz (Manchester by the Bay is the other one) and was let down with a loud thump. A movie I did enjoy is Jackie, which is the story of the days from JFK’s assassination to his burial. It is well-acted, interesting, and thoughtful, so at least I know there are movies out there that I do enjoy!
UPDATING: My friend went back and saw La-La Land a second time, and she said it's so much better the second time around. She found the story more engaging and the acting better. She was also more receptive to the main actors learning the crafts (dancing, piano playing) they portrayed in the film. I'll take her word for it, but I'm not going to see the film again just to get a better feeling about it.
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Just watched it. I think we enjoyed it more than you did, but we did have an issue with Ryan Gosling in the lead role. The part called for emotion and he just didn't bring much to the table. I felt like his character from Drive might show up at any moment and turn the movie into a sequel to that one.
We thought Emma Stone was fine throughout, except for when she was singing. Her voice was so soft, wispy-thin that it didn't have the weight that the role really needed.
I was also confused by the number of characters that just sort of started a story and then faded away, like her three friends at the beginning, or his sister. They seemed like, upon introduction, they would be pivotal to the story in some way... and then just faded out, to pop up once or twice in the background before going away completely.
We were left thinking two things:
1. Is this *really* one of the 9 best movies of the entire year? I'm not so sure. The story was fairly simple, the acting was just okay, and the cinematography was vivid but otherwise pretty staid.
2. Who would be better in the lead role(s)? I immediately wondered how good Kevin Spacey could have been in the lead male role, if played older. Joshua Sasse (from Galavant) could have been better if you kept the role younger. While both of us really like Emma Stone, we also wondered if someone like a Katherine McPhee or Melissa Benoist might have been a better choice, so you had someone with more singing/dancing talent as well as acting (Emma was fine at the acting part, but the rest was a little bland).
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