‘La La Land’ pays homage to Hollywood classics

On another typical, sweltering summer day in Los Angeles, hundreds of vintage cabs and Toyota Prius cars are stuck in a traffic jam. As the camera pans over the miles of traffic, the honks and yells become overpowered by a series of mellow, bouncy piano beats and a girl’s humming — the opening number is underway.

Within seconds, drivers leap out of their cars and break into a dance, creating sweeping movements in the middle of the highway as they sing the opening song, “Another Day of Sun.”

Welcome to “La La Land,” an old-fashioned nickname for this city of stars and implausible dreams. The 2016 romantic musical film of the same name recently made cinematic history as the most awarded motion picture at the 74th Golden Globes Awards, winning seven Globes, including best actor, best actress, best director and best motion picture in the musical or comedy category.

“La La Land” revolves around two aspiring performers — actress Mia (played by Emma Stone) and jazz pianist Sebastian (played by Ryan Gosling) — and their separate struggles to escape the pool of wading dreamers and make it big in Hollywood. The two characters fall in love, and the movie depicts the familiar clash between ambition and relationships.

Quite frankly, while I am a musical fanatic, the storyline fell short of my expectations. Even though the single-take numbers are brilliant, the boy-meets-girl plotline is nothing special. We’ve already seen fictional and real-life relationships that fell through as a result of the very struggle illustrated in “La La Land”; take out the musical numbers and John Legend’s guitar playing, and you’ll have nothing but a sugar plum-infused backdrop and Ryan Gosling in a dapper suit.

Nevertheless, the film’s cinematography is breathtaking. The single-take musical shots capture the beauty of Hollywood landmarks like Griffith Observatory as well as the complexity of the dance numbers, such as Mia and Sebastian’s tap dance duet to “A Lovely Night.”  

Since its release last December, the film has garnered much critical acclaim. According to a review in The New York Times, “La La Land” makes musicals matter again, which was director Damien Chazelle’s main goal during his six years of production.

Chazelle saw that the musical genre that led Hollywood’s Golden Age, which included “Singin’ in the Rain” and “West Side Story,” was quickly disappearing. Nowadays in the film industry, most movie musicals are Broadway adaptations or Disney animated pictures. Musicals have become films only for kids, and Chazelle wanted to change this perception through “La La Land” by paying homage to these bygone classic musicals.

Throughout the film, I discovered moments inspired by musicals like “An American in Paris” and “Shall We Dance.” For example, Mia and her friends don vibrant, primary-hued dresses and sashay through the Hollywood streets in the number “Someone in the Crowd,” which was taken from the all-female number in the 1969 film adaptation of “Sweet Charity.” This, as well as several other Easter eggs hidden throughout the film, brought me into a state of nostalgia.

While the screenplay may not be exceptional, the overall execution of the film made “La La Land” worthy of its seven Golden Globes. With its 14 Academy Award nominations, tying the all-time record set by “Titanic” and “All About Eve,” and internet buzz, “La La Land” is the one to beat.

From composer Justin Hurwitz’s “Casablanca”-esque piano score to Ryan and Emma’s on-screen chemistry, the creators behind “La La Land” knew how to pull at people’s heartstrings. But most importantly, the film captured the classic essence of Hollywood that was long forgotten and buried deep under Marvel superhero movies, and I hope that the overwhelming success of “La La Land” will mark the start of another golden age of musicals.