La La Land (2016) (1 Viewer)

[TJPC]

For me, if the music had been engaging I probably would have loved it. Maybe I'm too simplistic in my tastes or too mainstream. But I'm used to being blown away by at least one song in a typical Disney musical animation; even "Frozen" a mediocre movie on the whole, had at least three knock-me-out song sequences. Nothing like that in La La Land.

Do not go to see "Dear Evan Hansen"!

 

[Robert Crawford]

But she hated yet another expression of Hollywood's collective disdain for mature love, showing a woman who presumably had fulfilled her dreams, met her true love in doing so, built a life, and had a child, then experience utter profound regret on seeing her former boyfriend from years before.

I didn't see it as regret, those last scenes illustrated to me that she has a great life and is very happy with it. Furthermore, she is happy that her former love has met his dreams.

 

[DaveF]

I didn't see it as regret, those last scenes illustrated to me that she has a great life and is very happy with it. Furthermore, she is happy that her former love has met his dreams.

Could be. But I didn't take that from her expression and body language. She was tight-faced, stiff walked, with a final look back -- which is conventionally the sign of second thoughts. I'll double check with the wife to see if I understood her critique correctly.

EDIT: conferred with the wife
"Profound regret" is too strong. But Mia definitely had regrets. She had a tight, drawn expression in the club, once she realized it was Seb's. This wasn't a woman who was happy: there was no relaxed smile or wave to Sebastion to acknowledge or celebrate his achieving his dream. She didn't tell her husband that she knew the owner. She looked back: you only look back if you're not sure of your past decisions. And Sebastion clearly regretting losing Mia. Nothing about him was happy for the loss of what-could-have-been in that moment.

My wife also adds that it's sad to her that Mia within a year or two had moved on from Sebastion -- the great love of her life -- to someone else. Perhaps the child was unexpected and forced their marriage. And that final scene show she had some regrets over not finding her way back to Seb. And that makes my wife sad, that this Mia's life isn't fulfilling enough after five years with a husband and child that she has some pain over what might have been.

 

[DaveF]

Do not go to see "Dear Evan Hansen"!

I don't know what that is. (googling...appears to be a play?)

 

[TJPC]

It is a new popular Broadway musical with music and lyrics written by the composer and lyricist of La La Land.

I don't know what that is. (googling...appears to be a play?)

sic

 

[DaveF]

Our next NYC trip is for Cats and Amelie.

 

[Mark-P]

It is a new popular Broadway musical with music and lyrics written by the composer and lyricist of La La Land.

sic

Not the composer, only the lyricists.
La La Land composer is Justin Hurwitz, lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.
Dear Evan Hansen music and lyrics by Pasek & Paul.

 

[TJPC]

Sounds wonderful. We used to go every other year, but the ticket costs and exchange rates make it too rich for our blood. Most Canadians I know are too afraid to go to the US now.

 

[TJPC]

Not the composer, only the lyricists.
La La Land composer is Justin Hurwitz, lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.
Dear Evan Hansen music and lyrics by Pasek & Paul.

I stand corrected!

 

[Johnny Angell]

This is the first movie in YEARS that my wife has stated she wants to see in the theater. Lately she doesn't even come along when my son and I go to a movie. Go figure!

Crossing my fingers re: the singing. . .I am, in most cases, not a fan of musicals with actors who aren't good singers.

Except for John Legend, no one can sing. John has only one song. Singing-wise, lower your expectations.

It's as if the writers at SNL have been reading this thread!

This was good. It shows how the movie is getting different reactions.

I wonder how many of the people that didn't care for the film actually DID fall asleep while watching it. That would explain a lot.



Mark

It was a good thing we didn't go to dinner before the movie. If we had, I would have been sawing some Z's.

I've had my say, I'll leave the thread for the fans of the film. Any more and I'd be thread-crapping.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Could be. But I didn't take that from her expression and body language. She was tight-faced, stiff walked, with a final look back -- which is conventionally the sign of second thoughts. I'll double check with the wife to see if I understood her critique correctly.

EDIT: conferred with the wife
"Profound regret" is too strong. But Mia definitely had regrets. She had a tight, drawn expression in the club, once she realized it was Seb's. This wasn't a woman who was happy: there was no relaxed smile or wave to Sebastion to acknowledge or celebrate his achieving his dream. She didn't tell her husband that she knew the owner. She looked back: you only look back if you're not sure of your past decisions. And Sebastion clearly regretting losing Mia. Nothing about him was happy for the loss of what-could-have-been in that moment.

My wife also adds that it's sad to her that Mia within a year or two had moved on from Sebastion -- the great love of her life -- to someone else. Perhaps the child was unexpected and forced their marriage. And that final scene show she had some regrets over not finding her way back to Seb. And that makes my wife sad, that this Mia's life isn't fulfilling enough after five years with a husband and child that she has some pain over what might have been.

As I stated many times beforehand, different people can watch the same movie or scene and come away with various interpretations of said movie or scene. I think you're the first person in this thread that feels she isn't fulfilled with her life.

 

[bujaki]

As I stated many times beforehand, different people can watch the same movie or scene and come away with various interpretations of said movie or scene. I think you're the first person in this thread that feels she isn't fulfilled with her life.

No, I said the same thing way back at the beginning.

 

[Robert Crawford]

No, I said the same thing way back at the beginning.

Noted!

 

[AshJW]

The last look between Seb and Mia, the nod they gave each other, I interpreted that as "don't worry, everything is fine".

To be honest, I find it refreshing that this film has not the typical happy ending as especially Musicals have mostly.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The last look between Seb and Mia, the nod they gave each other, I interpreted that as "don't worry, everything is fine".

To be honest, I find it refreshing that this film has not the typical happy ending as especially Musicals have mostly.

That's how I took it that both of them got what they wanted out of life and are happy for each other.

 

[TJPC]

I did not mind the ending, especially the final montage, but although she liked it up to then, my wife found the ending disappointing. She had the same reaction to this movie that she has to a movie where the main character dies at the end: "why did we bother to watch that"?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I did not mind the ending, especially the final montage, but although she liked it up to then, my wife found the ending disappointing. She had the same reaction to this movie that she has to a movie where the main character dies at the end: "why did we bother to watch that"?

Did your wife wanted them to end up together which is why she was disappointed?

 

[TJPC]

Yes. She did not see the point of an entire movie about a love affair where this doesn't happen.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yes. She did not see the point of an entire movie about a love affair where this doesn't happen.

TBH, I would find movies boring if they always ended up with a happy ending when it comes to romance or even with action films.

 

[TJPC]

She is a realist, but believes with movies that it is a waste of time to spend two hours without the proper pay off that would make it worthwhile. She was not bitterly disappointed by the ending, but would have preferred it other wise.