How Good Are La La Land's Musical Numbers?

“La La Land”, by Damien Chazelle, boasts wonderful cinematography by Linus Sandgren and extraordinary music by Justin Hurwitz (with lyrics by Pasek and Paul). Emma Stone gives an amazing performance and Ryan Gosling plays one mean piano. The directing, however, could use some work. This is a fastidious video essay about it, an analysis of three musical numbers, pointing out each tiny visual imperfection.
Chazelle has all the right references (“The Young Girls of Rochefort”, “An American in Paris”, “The Band Wagon” and then some), but there is something missing in his directing.
In this video essay, we’ll examine what doesn’t work in La La Land’s opening number, “Another Day of Sun”. It's mostly framing issues and bad choreography. You’ll see how that scene doesn’t look at all like a classical musical spectacle, but a little bit too much like an indie band video clip.
We’ll go through some scenes of “Brigadoon”, by Vincente Minnelli, the greatest musical director of all time, to show how masterfully he can frame his players and move his camera resulting in shots rich with harmony, precision and perfection. When Chazelle imitated him more overtly in the Epilogue, it was beautiful.
You’ll see why the first part of “Someone in the Crowd” works and why the second doesn’t. A snippet of Kenneth Branagh’s “Much Ado About Nothing” will illustrate something.
And the video will finish off by going through “A Lovely Night”, which isn’t bad visually (mostly) but continues the film’s habit of bad choreography. It truly is a waste of a lovely night. Why must they move so slow?!
And here’s a new important term:
COAT: Center Of ATtention
It’s what your eyes aim at on screen for a specific moment. A director is supposed to control you, the viewer, and guide your eyes through COATs. Let’s see if Damien Chazelle pulled it off in “La La Land”. Minnelli definetely did.
00:00 La La Land
01:47 Another Day of Sun
07:31 Brigadoon
10:14 Someone in the Crowd
14:21 A Lovely Night
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[@Moviewise]

By the way, I did make that video on mirrors! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGrNlJxmaL6kgM0si=X4RSK3gytArFl0n0

[@thatoneguy871]

7:34 Never criticises if there isn't a movie that does the same thing correctly. This guy knows his stuff.

[@Moviewise]

There’s always a great movie to save the day

[@MrKKmusic]

The opening number was almost cut before release (yes, after it was filmed and edited) so you’re in good company

[@michaelz9892]

I thought I was the only one who thought the opening number was a mess.

[@chrisianlewis]

In what world does this video have 1k views. This is informative, hilarious, brilliantly edited and zips along. And that final clip broke me 😂 brilliant

[@placidandy]

Fascinating to watch the dancing without sound, I'd never thought of that. In the Fred/Cyd number there is no moment where either of them isn't in very precise motion, but when you see the comparative dance in La La Land you can see Ryan Gosling awkwardly waiting for the cue of "his next bit" of the dance to come.

[@roberto987]

How have only 17k subs is beyond me. This channel is gold!

[@alcedob.5850]

About 'A Lovely Night', I think it is awkward on purpose, it's awkwardness is narratively justified

[@jencart207]

It still leaves us watching a long bad dance though

[@leobrook4018]

That was the fastest I subscribed !!! And thanks for bashing those dance numbers. I was waiting for someone to do it

[@Moviewise]

Welcome on board!

[@neilcruickshank8578]

I love your videos, the best combination of insight and humor for film crit I've found yet, but in Emma Stone's defense, Cyd is also wearing dance shoes in that scene with Fred from The Bandwagon.

[@bearcb]

Not to mention Cyd was a classically trained dancer

[@glenn.6202]

always with the thorough insight and the well-placed joke (that dancing lady was awful🤣 You actually explained why I kinda dislike this movie (except Someone in the crowd and the ending) Now, bring out THE GREATEST SHOWMAN appreciation video NEXT!

[@jencart207]

Finally someone else who realizes this dancing is strictly amateur. I have choreographed things like this for my local drama club full of non dancers. And that’s fine, we’re there to have fun. This movie felt like a cheat aimed at people who were born too late to see Oklahoma

[@anawilding9802]

But wow, yeah. You nailed it, you are so so right that's what was off with that freeway dance. I never noticed it but honestly it feels like a relief now that I do. And oh wow, yeah. If you remove the music, the dancing still gotta look good. That's the litmus test my bud. You seriously have such amazing awareness and vision for these things. Such a gift. #yulbrynner #soletitbewrittensoletitbedone

[@jamess.7811]

weird tags

[@ilghiz]

You say watching a dance without music is a good way to assess its quality. Here's another tip: a good movie looks good on a small screen. If it's bad on your laptop, then it's probably not worth seeing it in the cinema. And a tip from a photographer: if you want to make a good portrait in terms of posture, think of the silhouette. If it looks good then the rest must be good too. So many revelations in one day 😮

[@neleknut2379]

What a wonderful channel and the most important thing is that it makes me want to watch so many of the movies that are analyzed.

[@todesque]

Fully agree with everything said in this video. La La Land does so many things right ... and yet so many things wrong. I love it, but usually skip most of the dance numbers.

[@johnbrill7909]

"Since you took the time to pause the video, how about liking and subscribing, you wonderfully inquisitive seeker or cinematic knowledge?" First, that is baller. I approve. Second, I think the "or" should have been an "of". It's okay. I publish a magazine and there winds up being typos in every issue. Only someone pedantic like me would stop the video and find it anyway. Again, this is baller and I approve. :)

[@KunalBansalCreation]

Another day of sun is supposed to shine a light on a mundane frustration of getting stuck in the traffic. Seeing color, dance, and laughter in the mundane chaos. Although the most of what you said is valid for a regular musical number, but since Another day of sun is meant tor represent Beauty in chaos, the choices work as the means.

[@WMCheerman]

Great work, your making me a better movie watcher

[@floydffrogfloydffrog7453]

I _am_ a wonderfully inquisitive seeker of cinematic knowledge, thank you for noticing. You're not bad yourself.

[@michaelstadnikfilm]

The crazy frog montage is just comedic gold 😂. The music and the highway setting make it clear: crazy frog was the inspiration!

[@AScreenwritersJourney]

9:21 You got me with this. I subscribed.

[@lanolinlight]

You seriously need to do one on the work of Busby Berkeley.

[@marksnow7569]

Praising both LLL's use of widescreen and Gene Kelly's dancing highlights a fundamental problem: widescreen is great for traffic jams, but old-fashioned aspect ratios like Academy are much better for people on their feet.

[@LukeRanieri]

9:22 and pause! Wonderful note, amazing video. 🎥

[@Moviewise]

The result of thinking of counterexamples but figuring the video was long enough haha Thanks again, Luke!

[@billywalkerjr.9753]

Throughout most of my life, movies had been a significant, reliable diversion, each one offering a glimpse into lives that were not my own. Years ago, I had to accept that I am no longer the target demographic for the art form. I miss them. I miss the me that enjoyed the privilege of exquisitely crafted entertainment. Thank you for providing clarity (laced judiciously with humor) into exactly why I had to seek escapism elsewhere.

[@JohnPickup]

The thing is, the music is technically deficient to at least the same degree as the visuals. It's big band music written by someone who has no clue how to write, orchestrate, record or program big band music.

[@alcedob.5850]

When I first tried to watch La-la-land I was so unimpressed by the opening scene I dropped the movie and only later gave it another chance. Now one of my favorites. Still don't understand why is there that first scene though

[@lesterfalcon1350]

Sonoya Mizuno is always my COAT especially if she's dancing.

[@shorpilakarshimanto224]

Well, I saw the first traffic dance number & left thinking the rest of the movie might be the same , chaotic

[@goatpie882]

West Side Story (2021)! :) I liked Lala Land before I watched all the classical Hollywood musicals, I’m still obsessed with the score but I find the movie unwatchable now

[@louford1952]

I love it. Don’t forget to make a video on mirrors

[@Moviewise]

Done! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGrNlJxmaL6kgM0si=S_xhJn2IHYAgDCii

[@andresmurillo388]

This is a reminder to make a video on mirrors some day

[@Moviewise]

Done! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGrNlJxmaL6kgM0si=X4RSK3gytArFl0n0

[@johnnzboy]

Don't forget to make a whole video about mirrors one day!

[@Moviewise]

Done! ;) Check The Camera and the Mirror, A Love Story

[@johnnzboy]

@@Moviewise You're a man of your word.

[@KingfisherTalkingPictures]

I think your review is a bit of a mixed bag. I ABSOLUTELY agree that they should have hired a pair of real singers and dancers. But Hollywood demands stars, so we end up with crap like Into the Woods and Cats. Stone and Gosling are not bad actors, and all props for the work he put into the piano, but they are NOT Musical stars. I also agree that he swung for the fences, and I think so much works. I think the third act retelling is brilliant. And yeah, the palm tree stinks. But I disagree strongly about the opening number. LA is filled with so much chaos, and each person acts like, and demands other see them, as a star. This chaos is vibrant and horrible and exciting, and I think he captured it. When the freeways move it is chaos. When the freeways stop, it is chaos. I can't imagine something as locked and precise as Brigadoon capturing the stupid vivacity that is Los Angeles. As a filmmaker I have to deal with that city too much, and I hate it, but it is the COAT of the west coast. Rant done. I'm loving your channel, liking your sense of humor, and learning a bunch. Thank you

[@directedbyadrien1]

exactly my thoughts. also, Stone and Gosling are clearly not dancers, but they are perfect in their respective roles, their chemistry is out of this world, and that's what matters most. there's a certain charm to their amateurish dancing...

[@bearcb]

Stone is not a bad actor, Gosling is awful!

[@ilghiz]

5:56 I wish I hadn't deleted my party videos. I could have won an Oscar!

[@OmriRose]

Up next... Joker: Folie à Deux... Will be interesting to see how Todd Philips approaches the musical. Definitely don't make the triple threat actors like they used to though. One of my favorite movie musicals outside the golden era is White Knights - not quite a proper musical, but damn does it have some fantastic choreography.

[@ConradSpoke]

I never want to hear the typewriter. I never want to see the camera. With La La Land I never stopped thinking about the utter incompetence of the choreography, and that the director was doing it on purpose. "Look, it's regular people being spontaneous!" It was especially galling to see brief glimpses of competence, which must have been Second Unit stuff with the low paid Assistant Choreographer. The Who Will Buy number in Oliver! is also a great world building number. Thank you for so clearly elucidating my hatred of this "film."

[@pninnabokov3734]

And that giant chemtrail "X" above the bedlam was the cherry on top.

[@artistsingerwriterproducer8288]

Great film

[@GregJamesMusic]

RE: "Another Day of Sun" - you know it's amateurish when a high school senior was able to recreate it in a parking lot. I'd even go so far as to say his camerawork was better overall - for example, there's always a clear COAT (usually him), and he cleverly uses whip pans to hide cuts. And all this for a none-too-serious "prom-posal" for Emma Stone. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGjNZqqGrLWDfZo

[@philipebbrell2793]

Dance With Me is a classic musical but it is a Japanese musical! Mixing reality with what the dancer is thinking. It is superb.

[@imaginnova]

Bro your content is fire but the one thing I would humbly ask is possibly lowering the volume on your ever-present bell sound effect. Listening with headphones is admittedly obnoxious because the soaring tone of that furrgin sound effect just dwarfs the rest of the soundscape. Sorry--I'm trying to critique this issue like you do all them movies. Please help me out with this

[@sleepyguy5060]

Can you do a direction breakdown on the movie City of God...

[@LJCulshawFilms]

I especially dislike that opening scene because they closed that freeway interchange during my morning commute. I hate that I was two hours late for work for that.

[@user-tf1rq9vg1j]

9:22 Done and Done

[@64ccd]

So, this is me commenting a year later. I so get what the great Mr. Moviewise is saying here, but I don't agree for once, and sincerely this is the first time I do disagree with him. I generally don't like musicals and I love this movie exactly for the reasons he dislikes these scenes (with the exception of the palm tree shot - that's just bad). I like the chaos of the opener BECAUSE it feels like the camera is struggling to keep up, making the whole thing seem more improvised, and I like how held back they are at the final scene being mentioned, because it again makes it feel like it's spur of the moment. The way they dance in that scene makes it seem like a situation I might theoretically find myself in, the scene from The Bandwagon feels too perfect to me and it takes me out of the story. The only older musical I've seen where it works is Singing In The Rain, because of the character's backgrounds as performers. Neither Emma nor Ryan are supposed to be dancers, so to me you sacrifice fantastical choreography for a more cohesive story. I do, by the way, believe that they dance more impressively at the observatory, where we're clearly in their dream world, which then makes sense. Given how expertly shot the scene in Stone's apartment is I'm thinking that Chazelle acts like a jazz player, breaking the rules at the exact point in the song where he can get away with it.

[@BlackWinterProduction]

I am pretty sure one of the inspirations behind La-La-Land's "starry night" ending dance was the scene from "Lovely to Look At" (1952). Watching Marge and Gower Champion dance to "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" just left me breathless, so beautiful the original is! (and featuring my favourite dance costume of all time) Just watch this and compare: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pau5lKGVqsp-j80

[@swaroop_pany]

The opening sequence was underwhelming for me for one simple reason. I'm from India and Indian musical numbers are extravagant. This for instance kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWiQk3uta9V0isk plays extremely well with the concept of COAT. Great video

[@Amenphoto]

The first time I saw the opening number (freeway) of “LA LA Land,” it poisoned me for the entire film. First and foremost, it was the terrible lighting, high contrast, deep shadows. I presumed that it was primarily a matter of economics, that is, producers had to pay to use a large section of an LA freeway, probably still under construction, but with a cast of hundreds (cars and people), get the permitting, etc., and that was without considering the bad dancing and camera work, as described here. It struck me as amateurish and I didn’t watch the rest of the film til at least a year later.

[@matthewalvarado8243]

I feel so validated. 😂

[@ulissessaffar3510]

La la land has a great plot, it should never have been a musical lol

[@_Johnny_BRAV0]

I realize why it was not a good experience watching lalaland.. Bravo bro

[@SS-ec2tu]

It really is not fair to compare Astaire and Kelly to this.

[@patrickgamble9014]

Dance massacre I think is more of an issue of not using a wide enough lens - I’ve never seen the movie but it looks like crap

[@LordBaktor]

They dance like they are "soooo over" the movies they are emulating. There's always a bit of lazy irony in their moves. Post-modern attitudes seeping into what was supposed to be a callback to a bygone era.

[@tobilobaojuroye9024]

Here's your reminder for a video on MIRRORS

[@Moviewise]

Here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGrNlJxmaL6kgM0si=pQD72js0SMfO9CXh

[@matibraun2023]

You mean "seeker *of* cinematic knowledge?" Forgive me for being demanding...

[@fantasticnisopta]

So everything they shot in the studio was good but as soon as they go outside they become amateurs.

[@marcrob5]

Only you to show us the limitations of a young boy in directing a film. It's not possible for a guy to be good at everything he does.

[@directedbyadrien1]

in LaLaLand's defense, the opening sequence represents LA traffic. it's supposed to be chaotic. it's supposed to be the opposite of Minelli. also, Stone and Gosling are clearly not dancers, but they are perfect in their respective roles, their chemistry is out of this world, and that's what matters most. there's a certain charm to their amateurish dancing... I'm binge watching all of your videos right now. LOVE em!

[@pjetrs]

completely agree. I really dislike all kinds of musical movies, but this one just does something for me. These two really sold the story and especially the ending montage was beautiful.

[@ronaldsantosjapan]

12:36 Palm trees mean Los Angeles. That's why the actors point to one. YEAH, it's an ugly shot. BUT they can mean a lot to Hollywood and L.A. folks. Here is a formulae for an Oscar nomination. Make a movie about the movie industry that flatters the industry. L.A. is were all the successful folks in the industry struggled to survive in. Play on the nostalgia for the place of their salad days, and you will be an Oscar contender.

[@bearcb]

The opening scene was one of two things I liked in this movie, and now you ruined it for me 😆

[@LittlePhizDorrit]

This film was 'member berries for film geeks. But it was awful. Truthfully, I walked away from this and I couldn't remember a single song, the character's names, and nor did I care about the story. The plot had no tension and there was nothing driving it forward except....something about making it in Hollywood equals breaking up(?). And yes, the choreography was awful. I was actually giggling at it in the theater. I love old dance films starring Gene Kelley or Fred Astair, and I have nothing but respect for those films. This was not even in the same GALAXY as that level of quality of dance choreography.

[@cineverse2644]

In defense of the film I have to say these things (Good essay btw, you raise many good points). 1. The entire theme & impression of this film is a form of pseudo-realism. Not so fantastical like the classic musicals of back in the day, but no so realistic where it can’t be categorized as a musical. Hence, Gosling & Stone’s dancing and singing not being to a Broadway level. They’re meant to play real, modern-day contemporary people with flaws & SENSIBILITIES that folks today can relate to 2. Thanks for pointing out how bad the framing is in the 1st number, because you’re right...BUTTTTTT I feel the frenetic chaos of the cinematography leads the audience to feel a sense of suspense when it comes to frame harmony & alignment. The audience is already OVERLY used to well-done framing that the minute we see something that is not framed as well, our subconscious wants our Brains & eyes to settle on something that is framed correctly so once we are given that we can relax...the big that this does ultimately is keep our attention and keeps the audience waiting for the camera to give us something to settle. 3. The tree COAT is terrible...I really don’t have a defense for that other than it’s a weird/sloppy transition...but they could have put some lights in the tree or something.

[@Moviewise]

Thanks for the comment! Indeed, a moving camera is great for adding suspense. I can't say I think it fits a musical number, but it's certainly powerful in thrillers or scenes with more serious tones. Hitchcock is definitely the best teacher.

[@uriahkabemba5798]

@@Moviewise not suspense in the genre sense, just a feeling of unease for the viewer on an instinctual side from how we typical view moving images

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

Thank you for mopping my brow with the truth. This film stinks.

[@horaciomillan4181]

I would like you to analize Babylon, wich I think it’s even worse. A very, very, very bad movie. I mean I hated it so much. And it was long, very long. And everything in it was obvious. And for anyone who loves and knows just a little about movies, there was absolutely nothing new. Did I say I hate it?

[@askarsfan2011]

I'm confused. The dancers opening the movie are not supposed to look like professional dancers. They are just ordinary people. And creating chaos is the point here. Did this scene really need Broadway level choreography? Who even noticed this besides you?

[@samp.8099]

Who watches musicals for realism?

[@DimageSapelkin]

The whole movie is mediocre at best. The plot is linear and goes nowhere. Dances are the least of this movie's problems