If this movie indeed wins the Oscar it will solely be based on nostalgia for their own franchise. Sure, the theme, the romance, and the hope for brighter days in which fools who dare to dream make it big in the industry are all extremely appealing reasons to give it an award considering the turmoil existing in their own society, the divisions, the resentments, the blame, the lack of empowerment and, in my humble opinion, the failing façade that Hollywood has actual influence on the events currently taking place in our world when the truth is that their glorious days are gone.
What didn´t I like? The main actors don´t sing well enough. They don´t dance well enough either. In a movie like this I do expect Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers but they were not. A bit stiff, a bit too mechanical, a bit lacking the flow and the sexy. In their defense, they dance better than they sing.
And then there is the genre issue; what was supposed to be a musical turns into a romantic movie, then into a speck of drama to end back where it all started and without the happy ending you were expecting, which perhaps was a good move on this otherwise bland script.
What did I like? The explanation of what jazz is, the landscapes and sets´ design, the score and original song, the costumes and the cinematography.
Considering I am not a fan of musicals, I was able to like and enjoy this movie because both, Emma and Ryan, delivered credible performances and are actors who naturally evoke long gone glamour, elegance and nostalgia. It is definitely not and Oscar worthy contender in my opinion but still a good film for any given Saturday night.