The Onion Reviews ‘La La Land’ (And Proves Just How Important The Music Was) — Watch
The Onion hasn’t done a lot of video film reviews lately, but the brilliant satire site returns just in time to dive deep into one of this year’s most formidable Oscar contenders. “La La Land”: the nostalgic romantic comedy-drama that almost didn’t end up being a musical. Head film critic Peter K. Rosenthal reveals what “La La Land” could have been without its stunning score, and the results are underwhelming.
From a completely silent opening choreographed scene to Ryan Gosling plunking away on a mute piano, Rosenthal showcases the pains Justin Hurwitz went through as a composer to intricately lay music over the scenes afterwards. It’s amazing to witness how much the film relies on its music to turn it into what ended up in the theaters.
On an ending note, Rosenthal emphasizes that this kind of musical addition didn’t work out quite as well for others as it did in “La La Land” — such as fellow Oscar contender “Manchester by the Sea,” which also made attempts at adding in music — specifically for its climactic scene (watch out for spoilers). What jubilant trumpet tune doesn’t hit quite so well.
Check out the full review below:
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