Film & TV

2016: Hot Or Not – La La Land

Let’s wave goodbye to 2015! Good times, bad times we’ve had them all – but you know what they say, as one door closes, another one opens. Over the coming month we’ll be bringing you a snapshot of everything 2016 has to offer – the good, the bad and the ugly. Hold on to your hats folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

So far, not much has been revealed about Damien Chazelle’s follow up to one of last year’s best surprises, Whiplash. All we know so far is that La La Land (not to be confused with the Demi Lovato song) will feature Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a jazz pianist and an actress, respectively, who fall in love in Los Angeles. But, alas, as they both become more successful, their relationship becomes strained.

Given Stone and Gosling’s previous collaborations in Crazy, Stupid, Love and Gangster Squad, it’s obvious that they play off each other rather well. With any luck, their way of breezing through conversation will be demonstrated in the final product.

 “Chazelle seems to be taking a different route. In this, it appears as though he will be emphasizing the rise to fame and the implications that can have on one’s personal relationships”

Judging by the plot – and the fact that it’s being described as a ‘musical drama’ – jazz will obviously be a major theme for this film, much like it has been for Chazelle’s other movies. While this may worry some into thinking La La Land could just be “Whiplash: the Sequel” (I mean, as great as Whiplash is, let’s hope this isn’t the case), Chazelle seems to be taking a different route. In this, it appears as though he will be emphasizing the rise to fame and the implications that can have on one’s personal relationships – a topic that was briefly touched upon in Whiplash. If this is the case, hopefully La La Land will have enough substance to prevent too much comparison with its predecessor. Besides, seeing as this is the writer who gave us the already-iconic “Were you rushing or were you dragging?” scene, optimism is a safe bet.

Although not much has been revealed regarding the plot, with a cast this strong (the supporting roles are filled by J. K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt and John Legend) and a director that’s continuing to get better, it’s impossible not to be excited for this film.

 Sarah Quraishi

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