la la land ripped this off
i smell a lawsuit
~RANKING 2016 FILMS~
imdb.com/list/ls031254554
Last seen: Jackie
There are lots of musicals about a guy and a girl who meet in Hollywood and fall in love and don't work out. New York, New York immediately comes to mind. It had a similar plot to La La Land (he was a musician, she was a singer, it was a throwback to old musicals), but I wouldn't go hollering that La La Land ripped off Scorcese.
shareMust admit I did think of this film after watching La La Land. I often wonder in cases of similar films released in quick succession why one becomes a big hit and the other doesn't.
shareWell, L5Y was made as a small cult film based on a small cult musical and it was made specifically for fans of the stage show. Richard LaGravenese said that he was a fan of the show and he wanted to make a film that fans of the show would like and not do things to necessarily attract new audiences or cater to audiences who weren't familiar with the show. So, I don't think that anyone attached with L5Y expected it to be a mega hit. It had a very limited release (one theatre in NYC and I believe a few theatres across America) and then was only available streaming. It's still on Netflix.
La La Land, on the other hand, was a very big budget Hollywood movie which catered more to the non-theatre going audience who may have a passing understanding of classic musicals, but aren't always looking for lots of singing or musical storytelling. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed La La Land and thought for the most part that they did a good job of what they set out to do (particularly with the visuals). But it was always catering to the masses, whereas L5Y was catering to a smaller audience. I think that's why La La Land was a big hit and L5Y wasn't.