The Greatest Showman Review

4 Stars

 

“Unless a man enters upon the vocation intended for him by nature, and best suited to his peculiar genius, he cannot succeed.”  Phineas Taylor Barnum, best known today as simply P.T. Barnum, was born in 1810 in Bethel, Connecticut.  In his early 20s, Barnum was a small business owner and founder of a weekly newspaper.  He moved to New York in 1934 where his entertainment career began when he purchased Scudder's American Museum that he renamed after himself and transformed into a "freak show" playing on human curiosity with features like the Feejee mermaid and General Tom Thumb.  Later in life, Barnum returned to Connecticut where he served as Mayor in 1875.  He was an author, publisher, politician, businessman, and philanthropist, but is best remembered for his showmanship.  It is that achievement that has inspired the new musical The Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum.

If you have read any of my previous Previews or Reviews for films based on actual events or people, I have given up on doing too much research beforehand as the movies often take many creative liberties with regards to the timeline of events, the location of events, characters involved, roles they played, and more.  And they have every right to do so as the films make no claims to be historically accurate or documentaries.  The Greatest Showman is based on the life of P.T. Barnum, specifically in regards to his creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus dubbed The Greatest Show on Earth.

Hugh Jackman tackles the title role of Barnum and he is no stranger to singing on stage or in film.  Jackman grew up a theatre performer in Australia including musicals.  The world was exposed to his singing abilities in 2012 with his role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, a performance that earned him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor.  Jackman received both praise and criticism for his vocal performance.  I was one of the critics asking the question "Were you impressed with the performances in Les Miserables because you wouldn't expect Wolverine and Gladiator to be able to sing like that, or did you really think they gave the performances you would expect if you had paid $500 to watch this on Broadway?"  Jackman has already been nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in The Greatest Showman and I enjoyed his singing as Barnum more than I liked his Jean Valjean in Les Miserables.

Zac Efron's leading man roles in his career to date have been campy, goofy and sophomoric starring in such movies as Neighbors 1 and 2, Dirty Grandpa, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and Baywatch.  He is slated to play a completely opposite role as Ted Bundy in a film titled Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile that could really reshape his career and propel him to a much higher platform possibly opening many more "meaty" roles for the young actor.  His performance in The Greatest Showman was definitely a huge step in the right direction to separate him as more than just the goofball in crude comedies.

Last year, when La La Land came out, I said we were long overdue for a new musical and La La Land was hopefully the first of many.  Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul took home the Oscar for Original Song with their creation of "City of Stars" from La La Land.  They're back and have written the original music for The Greatest Showman and I would be surprised if they didn't get at least one more Oscar nomination this year as it was the music that really stole the show.  The Greatest Showman features a modern pop feel as team Pasek and Paul did not confine themselves to the 1830's when the film is set.  It was a risk, but a risk that paid off.  If they tried to fit the songs to the era of the film, I don't think this movie would have worked at all.

I was excited for The Greatest Showman and had high expectations.  I gave a 4.5 Star Prediction as I anticipated thoroughly enjoying Jackman and Efron's performances along with co-stars Michelle Williams and Zendaya, the music, and the spectacle from director Michael Gracey who literally made his big screen debut.  He's so green, he doesn't even have a completed biography on IMDB.  I had a feeling this would just the beginning for Gracey after a hugely successful Greatest Showman.  I thought this movie was sweet, charming, electric, exciting, fun, and sensitive.  However, I felt it should have been about 20 minutes longer than its 1 hour and 44 minute running time.  Barnum didn't come from anything at all and swept his wife away from a lavish, wealthy lifestyle.  She didn't care about the money.  Their apartment had a leaky roof and no frills at all, but she and their two daughters were happy.  After losing another job, Barnum took a risk and convinced a bank to loan him $10,000 so he could purchase a macabre wax museum figuring that human's morbid curiosity would draw them in.  His daughters pointed out that it wasn't enough.  He needed live spectacles.  He agreed and searched for the outcasts, the freaks.  He found his Tom Thumb, a bearded lady, the World's Fattest Man, the Irish Giant, the acrobat brother and sister, and many more.  And it worked.  People lined up and shows were sold out to see something no one had ever seen before.

Barnum teamed up with the legitimate theatre producer Phillip Carlyle (Efron) to raise their show to the next level.  It takes some convincing but Carlyle gets on board and it isn't long before their entire troop gets an audience with the British Queen.  It's there that I feel the movie started rushing things.  Providing a better life, a bigger home, ballet lessons, fancy clothes soon wasn't enough for Barnum.  He became obsessed with people's opinions about how he obtained his wealth.  In England, they meet famed European opera singer Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson) and convince her to tour the United States as promoted by Barnum.  At her first performance, Barnum became infatuated with the "legitimate" adulation she received and started hiding his band of freaks to the shadows.  It is Carlyle who first questioned Barnum, though he himself wasn't ready to be fully associated with them.  His inner conflict was growing, however, as he had fallen in love with acrobat Anne Wheeler (Zendaya). 

Barnum quite abruptly abandoned his circus as Carlyle abruptly became an outcast to his family and his upper crust associates as he fully embraced his new family in Barnum's absence.  Almost as quickly as Barnum threw the origins of his success aside, he flipped a 180 and left Lind to finish her American tour without him so he could return to his wife, his children and his circus family.  Local protestors threatened to permanently end their dream, but Carlyle's investments saved the day and the show went on. 

I really only had two big issues with The Greatest Showman.  As described above, the flip-flopping of allegiance of both Barnum and Carlyle could have used a little more time in the film to develop and transition.  The second was the character of Tom Thumb as played by actor Sam Humphrey, an Australian actor with a skeletal disorder that keeps the 22-year-old actor at a height of 4'3" tall.  But that wasn't short enough for the film as they digitally shortened his legs by what appears to be 6 to 8 inches.  The problem is that you can tell he was digitally altered in every full-body shot he is in.  He is also obviously missing from some wider shot scenes, when he should be in them.  During the number "This is me", the cast of freaks are out in the public streets all performing together.  He is there during close-up scenes, but when the camera pulls out, he is noticeably absent.

Other than that, the songs really made this show a spectacle and truly entertaining.  It starts with an anthemic performance by Hugh Jackman of the show's opening song "The Greatest Show" that has a similar feel to Queen's "We Will Rock You".  Efron and Jackman were the perfect pair in their duet in the bar as they sang "The Other Side".  Efron had a very heart-felt, sweet, sincere, beautiful duet with Zendaya as they battled with their feelings for each other as they sang "Rewrite the Stars".  And the Bearded Lady Lettie Lutz (Keala Settle) led the cast of the circus in a triumphant singing of "This is Me".  While the movie sold itself short in it's character and story execution, a shortcoming that really could have been fixed easily with about 20 minutes more, it more than redeemed those downfalls with some amazing original music that should get a couple Oscar nominations and probably one of them taking home the trophy.  So, I predicted 4.5 stars for The Greatest Showman, I'm going to lower it just slightly to 4.0 Stars.  It was definitely worth the money in the theatre, I'd see it again, and I'll be owning this once it comes out.  So, what movie will be on my mind next? We Shall See.

The Greatest Showman Preview

“Unless a man enters upon the vocation intended for him by nature, and best suited to his peculiar genius, he cannot succeed.”  Phineas Taylor Barnum, best known today as simply P.T. Barnum, was born in 1810 in Bethel, Connecticut.  In his early 20s, Barnum was a small business owner and founder of a weekly newspaper.  He moved to New York in 1934 where his entertainment career began when he purchased Scudder's American Museum that he renamed after himself and transformed into a "freak show" playing on human curiosity with features like the Feejee mermaid and General Tom Thumb.  Later in life, Barnum returned to Connecticut where he served as Mayor in 1875.  He was an author, publisher, politician, businessman, and philanthropist, but is best remembered for his showmanship.  It is that achievement that has inspired the new musical The Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum.

If you have read any of my previous Previews or Reviews for films based on actual events or people, I have given up on doing too much research beforehand as the movies often take many creative liberties with regards to the timeline of events, the location of events, characters involved, roles they played, and more.  And they have every right to do so as the films make no claims to be historically accurate or documentaries.  The Greatest Showman is based on the life of P.T. Barnum, specifically in regards to his creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus dubbed The Greatest Show on Earth.

Hugh Jackman tackles the title role of Barnum and he is no stranger to singing on stage or in film.  Jackman grew up a theatre performer in Australia including musicals.  He branched out of Australia when he landed the role of Curley in Oklahoma in London in 1998.  Two years later, he emerged in America in the role of Wolverine in the X-Men comic movies.  While he continued to perform musical theatre on the side, the world was finally exposed to his singing abilities in 2012 with his role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, a performance that earned him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, an award that went to Daniel Day Lewis for his performance in Lincoln.  Jackman received both praise and criticism for his vocal performance.  I was one of the critics asking the question "Were you impressed with the performances in Les Miserables because you wouldn't expect Wolverine and Gladiator to be able to sing like that, or did you really think they gave the performances you would expect if you had paid $500 to watch this on Broadway?"  Jackman has already been nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in The Greatest Showman and the preview has me excited to see and hear his singing that sounds cleaner than it did in Les Miserables.

Zac Efron burst onto the screen in Disney's High School Musical in 2002, a role that earned him the Teen Choice Award for Breakout Star.  His leading man roles in his career, however, have been campy, goofy and sophomoric starring in such movies as Neighbors 1 and 2, Dirty Grandpa, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and Baywatch.  He is slated to play a completely opposite role as Ted Bundy in a film titled Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile that could really reshape his career and propel him to a much higher platform possibly opening many more doors for the young actor.  His performance in The Greatest Showman could really pave the way for America to accept him in that role and to see him as more than just the goofball in crude comedies.

Last year, when La La Land came out, I said we were long overdue for a new musical and La La Land was hopefully the first of many.  Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul took home the Oscar for Original Song with their creation of "City of Stars" from La La Land.  They're back and have written the original music for The Greatest Showman.  While La La Land's musical numbers had the old school throwback feel you'd expect from the 50's mixed with some 80's hits and a little more modern jazz, The Greatest Showman will feature more of a modern pop feel as team Pasek and Paul were not bound to embody the 1830's when the film is set.  It's a risk, but a risk that looks to payoff judging from the preview.

I'm excited for The Greatest Showman and have high expectations.  I'm giving a 4.5 Star Prediction as I anticipate thoroughly enjoying Jackman and Efron's performances along with co-stars Michelle Williams and Zendaya, the music, and the spectacle from director Michael Gracey who is literally making his big screen debut.  He's so green, he doesn't even have a completed biography on IMDB.  I have a feeling this is just the beginning for Gracey after a hugely successful Greatest Showman.  Am I right?  We Shall See.

Manchester by the Sea Review

3.0 Stars

 

Manchester by the Sea is the story of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a janitor for residential buildings in Quincy, Massachusetts. He grew up in Manchester with his brother, but left after a tragic incident forced him away and turned him into an angry, antisocial loner.  He is called back to Manchester when his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies from a heart condition.  Unexpectedly, Lee is named the legal guardian to his 16 year old nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) and also the trustee of Joe's estate until Patrick comes of age.  Lee is left with no other choice than to return to Manchester full time to fulfill his obligations and must face again the incident that prompted his leaving years before.

Manchester by the Sea is nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Kenneth Lonergan), Best Actor (Casey Affleck), Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams) and Best Supporting Actor (Lucas Hedges).  Affleck won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, but the film lost to Moonlight for Best Drama.  

We've seen movies like this before where someone who isn't ready is thrust into taking care of another child's life and it completely turns their world upside down, though ultimately proving to be the best thing that ever happened to them.  Catherine Zeta-Jones did this in No Reservations.  Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel did it in Life as We Know It.  Jean Reno did it in The Professional.  And we all know that some kind of tragedy happened to their biological parents to end up in this situation.  It's no different in Manchester by the Sea as we already know Lee's brother Joe died from his heart condition.  What sets this film apart is the mysterious incident that drove Lee from Manchester in the first place.  I won't give away the tragedy, but it's something the town, Lee's wife, and especially Lee blame on Lee for happening.  When his brother's dead forces him back to Manchester, Lee is confronted by the tragedy once again and is overcome by the conflict of his desire to flee once again versus his obligation to his brother's wishes to care for Patrick and his property.   

 

From the preview, it appeared that the writing and performances looked marvelously beautiful, compelling and tragic.  However, I felt the movie dragged for most of it and I was confused and disoriented by some of the musical selections that seemed disjointed.  The end was rather abrupt without a real resolution to anything.  Though La La Land cleaned up at the Golden Globes, the buzz for Best Picture and Best Actor seem to be pointing in large numbers to Manchester by the Sea.  I don't see this taking La La Land down for best picture.  I also don't see Michelle Williams taking home the trophy for Best Supporting Actress.  She had one good scene where she attempts to apologize to Lee that lasted a few minutes.  Other than that, he performance was nothing memorable.  She didn't give a poor performance, that was just the character's role as it was written.  

 

I gave it a 4.0 Star prediction based on several factors: the riveting preview, the wins and nominations, and previous performances by Affleck and Williams.  I'm reducing that rating to 3.0 Stars.  I'm glad I rented it rather than spent the full money in the theatres.  I doubt I'd watch it again and it won't be making it to my home collection.  I can see Casey Affleck taking home the honors for Best Actor, and Manchester by the Sea might be a strong contender for Best Original Screenplay.  Other than that, rent it if you're in the mood for a dragging drama.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

 

Manchester By the Sea Preview

Manchester by the Sea is the story of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a janitor for residential buildings in Quincy, Massachusetts. He grew up in Manchester with his brother, but left after a tragic incident forced him away and turned him into an angry, antisocial loner.  He is called back to Manchester when his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies from a heart condition.  Unexpectedly, Lee is named the legal guardian to his 16 year old nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) and also the trustee of Joe's estate until Patrick comes of age.  Lee is left with no other choice than to return to Manchester full time to fulfill his obligations and must face again the incident that prompted his leaving years before.

Manchester by the Sea is nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Kenneth Lonergan), Best Actor (Casey Affleck), Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams) and Best Supporting Actor (Lucas Hedges).  Affleck won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, but the film lost to Moonlight for Best Drama.  

If the movie is anything like the preview, Manchester by the Sea is absolutely worth every nomination is has received.  We've seen movies like this before where someone who isn't ready is thrust into taking care of another child's life and it completely turns their world upside down, though ultimately proving to be the best thing that ever happened to them.  Catherine Zeta-Jones did this in No Reservations.  Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel did it in Life as We Know It.  Jean Reno did it in The Professional.  And we all know that some kind of tragedy happened to their biological parents to end up in this situation.  It's no different in Manchester by the Sea as we already know Lee's brother Joe died from his heart condition.  What seems to set this film apart is the mysterious incident that drove Lee from Manchester in the first place.  It's mentioned in the preview, though it's completely unclear what happened.  What is apparent, however, is that the writing and performances look marvelously beautiful, compelling and tragic.

Though La La Land cleaned up at the Golden Globes, the buzz for Best Picture and Best Actor seem to be pointing in large numbers to Manchester by the Sea.  If the film lives up to the preview, it won't be hard to see why.  I'm giving it a 4.0 Star prediction based on several factors: the riveting preview, the wins and nominations, and previous performances by Affleck and Williams.  I think this will be well worth the money spent in theatres and a contender to find a permanent home in my personal collection.  So, am I right?  We shall see.

Hacksaw Ridge Review

4.0 Stars

Hacksaw Ridge is the story of an Army Medic Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) who was the first to ever receive the Medal of Honor for bravery without having fired a single shot.  His father Tom (Hugo Weaving) fought in World War I and it took its toll on Tom who turned to drinking and was often violent with his family.  It was his father's violence that prompted Desmond to commit to the Scripture's command that "Thou shalt not kill."  He refused to even pick up a gun.  Things got even tougher for Tom when both of his sons enlisted in the army after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor launching the United States into World War II.

Desmond did not get along with his superiors in boot camp due to his opposition to guns and killing.  Refusing to train on Saturdays as it is the Sabbath, didn't earn him any popularity points with his fellow trainees either.  Sergeant Howell (Vince Vaughn) made his training as hellish as possible and Desmond was beaten in his barracks by the other soldiers who viewed his conscientious objections as cowardice.  But Desmond did not give up their names when asked who attacked him.  He took everything they threw at him and persevered.  The day the squad was released from training, Desmond was arrested for his insubordination making him miss his own wedding day.  Only the testimony of his father saved him from a court martial.

Desmond's stand against killing continued in Okinawa, Japan as he refused to take up a weapon against the enemy, even though he believed their cause was just.  Instead, he regularly risked his own life, unarmed, to aid his wounded brothers away from the front lines to get medical attention.  In all, Desmond rescued over 75 men without ever firing a shot.

Hacksaw Ridge marks Mel Gibson's return to the Director's chair after a ten year hiatus after Apocalypto in 2006 and The Passion of the Christ in 2004.  Hacksaw Ridge has been nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture of the Year, Best Leading Actor (Andrew Garfield) and Best Director (Mel Gibson).  Gibson 2 for 2 in Oscar wins, both for Braveheart in 1996 that earned him the Best Picture of the Year and Best Director.  Hacksaw Ridge is another installment in brutally graphic, tragically realistic, touching and character-driven movies in Gibson's repertoire.  I was concerned about Andrew Garfield in this role.  He started gaining major recognition with his role in The Social Network in 2010 followed by a reprized role as Peter Parker / Spider-man in two Spider-man movies.  But this is quite a different role for Garfield and he more than rose to the occasion.  In fact, his performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination (Casey Affleck won for Best Actor in a Drama) and an Oscar nomination.

I was also concerned about Vince Vaughn in this very heavy movie.  I love him in his comedies, but he failed to impress in the second season of True Detective.  Granted, everyone failed to impress in that series follow-up, but particularly Vaughn who wasn't very convincing in his dramatic role.  While he was more than adequate in this role, he still proved to be the dimmest star shining in a sea of brightly burning suns. Vaughn will never be mentioned alongside the greats like R Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket, Louis Gosset Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman, or Christopher Walken in Biloxi Blues. 

That being said, early comments on the film, the notoriety of Gibson's previous works and the preview made me very optimistic for Hacksaw Ridge, so I gave it an anticipatory 4.0 Star Prediction.  And I'm going to stick with it giving it a solid 4.0 Stars.  It really had everything.  It started with a tragic family story torn apart by alcohol and violence.  It had a beautiful love story that was so pure and sweet.  It made you love and support Desmond in boot camp and feel for him as his fellow soldiers attacked him.  It ended with a brutal, graphic, realistic war reenactment.  That is one of Gibson's specialties: graphic violence that isn't just for the sake of being bloody, but rather because that's what actually happened.  And that's how you look at it.  You don't ask, "Why did that movie have to be so violent?"  Instead, you realize just how violent the war was and that makes Desmond's heroics just that much more incredible. Hacksaw Ridge was well worth the money in the theatre, definitely worth the 6 nominations, and a contender for a spot in my home collection.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see. 

La La Land Review

4.5 Stars

 

As big and daunting as Los Angeles is, it's also a relatively small town, especially if you're trying to get into show business.  Mia (Emma Stone) is one of those many hopefuls.  She's working at a coffee shop on the Warner Brothers studio lot, giving the actors who are doing what she longs to do their caffeine fix.  Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is another hopeful, also currently scraping the bottom of the barrel.  To keep the roof over his head in his dumpy apartment and to pay what bills he can, which isn't many, he plays jazz at any club that will have him.  Mia and Sebastian first meet in the notorious LA traffic.  She is holding up traffic going over lines for an audition, he is stuck behind her.  He passes her with a glare, she responds with another unfriendly, but definitely Los Angelan gesture.  Their paths cross again later that evening after a party that Mia's roommates encourage her to attend after a bad audition.  She leaves on her own, walking home after her car was towed and hears Sebastian playing at a club she passes.  She walks in just in time to see him get fired for not sticking to the Christmas set list.  She tries to compliment him, but he brushes right by her.  Months  later at an 80s party, Mia gets some revenge as Sebastian is performing with an 80s tribute band.  They end up leaving together in search of their cars and start a wonderful song and dance duet a la Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. 

After a number of close calls and missed opportunities in La La Land both professionally and personally, Sebastian encourages Mia to write her own show.  She agrees, though terrified of failure, and writes a one-woman show she will also perform.  All Sebastian wants is to own his own jazz club, but he doesn't have the money, so he reluctantly takes a gig with a fellow musician.  The group is very successful, but it's not the type of jazz Sebastian wants to play and it's keeping him apart from Mia.  With glimpses of romance with each other and opportunities for success in the dog-eat-dog world of entertainment, the two must make some tough decisions about what they really want out of life.  Ultimately, they both decide what is most important to each of them and they live happily ever after . . .  though, not quite how you might assume.

La La Land was written and directed by Damien Chazelle who recently shot into the spotlight with his critically acclaimed writing and directing achievement with Whiplash.  While both deal with music, La La Land is completely different than his dark and torturous Whiplash.  If Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Judy Garland, or Fred Astaire were still making musicals today, La La Land would be their product.  They don't make movies like this anymore, but hopefully the will after this.  We've seen episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Psych, Scrubs, Family Guy and even South Park pay homage to the art of yesterdecade.  We've also seen musicals revitalized with Mama Mia!, Moulin Rouge, Rock of Ages, and Jersey Boys.  But a musical set today with the feel of the 50's is long overdue and it's been worth the wait as La La Land  combines traditional old school movie sets mixed with some of the modern movie special effects that they couldn't even imagine in Singin' in the Rain or Grease.

Gosling and Stone lit up the screen in the preview, coming across as the perfect kids you're rooting for, both in their pursuits of their passions and in their blooming romance.  They delivered as did La La Land.  If you like any of the movies I've named, just watching the preview probably made you smile with anticipation.  It just cleaned up at the Golden Globes with wins for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Musical or Comedy, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Screenplay.  I gave La La Land a very hopeful 4 Star prediction but I'm boosting it up to 4.5 Stars.  It was nearly perfect.  Gosling and Stone are a perfect match in their wit, comedic timing, sincerity, romance, singing and dancing.  If this is the first of many more modern day musicals to come, then we are in for a real treat.  If this doesn't spark more of its kind, it would be a shame, but we were blessed with this rare gem and I'll be adding it to my collection for sure.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

La La Land Preview

As big and daunting as Los Angeles is, it's also a relatively small town, especially if you're trying to get into show business.  Mia (Emma Stone) is one of those many hopefuls.  She's working at a coffee shop on the Warner Brothers studio lot, giving the actors who are doing what she longs to do their caffeine fix.  Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is another hopeful, also currently scraping the bottom of the barrel.  To keep the roof over his head in his dumpy apartment and to pay what bills he can, which isn't many, he plays jazz at any club that will have him.  Mia and Sebastian first meet in the notorious LA traffic.  She is holding up traffic going over lines for an audition, he is late and stuck behind her.  He passes her with a glare, she responds with another unfriendly, but definitely Los Angelan gesture.  Their paths cross again months later at an 80s party that Mia's friends have encouraged her to attend and Sebastian is performing at.  

After a number of missed opportunities in La La Land, Sebastian encourages Mia to write her own show.  She agrees, though terrified of failure, and writes a one-woman show she will also perform.  All Sebastian wants is to own his own jazz club, but he doesn't have the money, so he reluctantly takes a gig with a fellow musician.  With glimpses of romance with each other and opportunities for success in the dog-eat-dog world of entertainment, the two must make some tough decisions about what they really want out of life.

La La Land was written and directed by Damien Chazelle who recently shot into the spotlight with his critically acclaimed writing and directing achievement with Whiplash.  While both deal with music, La La Land looks completely different than his dark and torturous Whiplash.  If Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Judy Garland, or Fred Astaire were still making musicals today, La La Land would be their product.  They don't make movies like this anymore.  We've seen episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Psych, Scrubs, Family Guy and even South Park pay homage to the art of yesterdecade.  We've also seen musicals revitalized with Mama Mia!, Moulin Rouge, Rock of Ages, and Jersey Boys.  But a musical set today with the feel of the 50's is long overdue and looks like it's been worth the wait as La La Land boasts traditional old school movie sets mixed with some of the modern movie special effects that they couldn't even imagine in Singin' in the Rain or Grease.

Gosling and Stone light up the screen in the preview and come off as the perfect kids you're rooting for, both in their pursuits of their passions and in their blooming romance.  And I'm rooting for La La Land.  If you like any of the movies I've named, just watching the preview probably made you smile with anticipation.  It just cleaned up at the Golden Globes with wins for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Musical or Comedy, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Screenplay.  I'm giving La La Land a very hopeful 4 Star prediction and anticipate that rating will only go up after watching it.  Am I right?  We Shall See.