OPINION

WITH 14 nominations under its belt, there’s no doubt La La Land is the frontrunner to take home the coveted Best Picture statue in a month’s time.

Lavish and joyful, La La Land has all the hallmarks of the kind of film the Academy loves to reward: Charismatic movie star leads in Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, a spectacle, a musical and, above all, a story about dreamers in show business.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved La La Land and it was one of my top 10 movies of 2016. Its ambition and incredible technical achievements from its score to its cinematography are outstanding.

But it shouldn’t win Best Picture.

There are at least three competitors in its category that are superior films: Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea and Hell or High Water.

That trio may not have the pizzazz of La La Land in terms of toe-tapping fun but all three outstrip La La Land by a mile in what should be the driving force of all good storytelling — the characters and the performances.

For a film as accomplished as La La Land, its character work is probably its weakest point. Stone’s Mia and Gosling’s Sebastian are the only two people who matter. John Legend and Rosemarie DeWitt flit in and out in supporting roles but neither have any real impact. Giving your whole focus to two characters means you really have to make it count.

While both lead actors have been nominated for their performances, Stone was the standout. Her performance has layers of vulnerability, yearning and strength that left Gosling standing around holding her handbag. You get a real sense of Mia as a person.

Gosling is a talented actor but in this film, he wasn’t at his peak, he was just fine. He’s done much better work in films including The Place Beyond the Pines, Blue Valentine, Half Nelson and even The Nice Guys. That Gosling was nominated for his work here speaks volumes to the kind of momentum that had gathered behind La La Land that he was swept along as the film cleaned up with a record 14 nominations (tied with All About Eve and Titanic).

It’s not entirely Gosling’s fault that Sebastian as a character remained elusive. The script never rounded him out as more than a conflicted jazz bro — something writer/director Damien Chazelle managed to do better in Whiplash.

In contrast, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea and Hell or High Water boasted spectacular performances and ridiculously good writing.

Moonlight, the film that should win Best Picture, is a showcase for the kind of performances that burrow deep. A coming-of-age tale about a gay African-American boy growing up in Miami, the film is split into three chapters of Chiron’s life.

Three actors play Chiron at different ages and while every one of them looks nothing like the other, you completely believe that they are playing the same person — the emotions that course through Moonlight are so raw, authentic and consistent. Mahershala Ali, who plays a drug dealer named Juan, is nominated for Best Supporting Actor and is considered the frontrunner to win.

To boot, Moonlight also has gorgeous cinematography and a grace in all that is left unsaid. It’s pretty much a perfect film.

Manchester by the Sea is also an actors’ film with Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges (both nominated) giving powerhouse performances that are restrained and subtle. Their characters are fully realised genuine human beings with flaws, baggage and context.

Hell or High Water was one of the biggest surprises of last year. A neo-Western heist movie about bank robbers and the rangers that chase them sounds pretty par for the course but is actually joltingly insightful and resonant. Jeff Bridges and Ben Foster were both excellent in this, as you expect them to be, but Chris Pine had a heretofore unseen gravitas that really topped it off.

All three films were boosted by magnificent supporting performances that really grounded the leads and the worlds they ventured in. These movies really are worth your time.

When the envelope is opened by a Hollywood luminary on February 27 (AEDT) and La La Land is crowned Best Picture, it will still be a worthy winner — this is not a case of Crash or, dare I say it, Shakespeare in Love.

But it will be a shame because Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea or Hell or High Water would’ve been a bolder and more deserving choice.

The 2017 Academy Award winners will be announced on Monday, February 27 (AEDT).

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