Despite its imperfections and focus on style, La La Land improves with each act and by the end is emotionally captivating

Rating: 9/10 (4 September 2018)

While La La Land would seem to be a combination of things I dislike (romantic focus, musical, more style than substance), I was surprised by how deeply I was invested in the two main characters. Gosling is phenomenal, and Stone puts on a performance for the ages. The script is tight and showcases many sides of their characters. I'm not one for musicals, but I will admit that the music from the movie was excellent. La La Land definitely left me shrugging at times - I didn't like the opening sequence or the first act in general, as the development of how their relationship came to be was unrealistic and inevitable. The lack of real, developed supporting characters also hurt the movie - neither of them really had anyone else relevant in their lives, or by chance no other intriguing characters become relevant in the plot? Several times I was taken out of the story because of a song and dance number that to me didn't add anything to the movie and just prevented more interactions from happening. Despite these problems, La La Land truly improves as the movie progresses, and by the third act I was enthralled. The ending was heartbreaking and brilliant, as I'm coming to expect from Chazelle. Showing the events unfold from Gosling's point of view really made the ending hit home, and while it's sad, it feels satisfying and right. For all its flaws, I loved Gosling and Stone's characters, and Chazelle again directs a great movie and excellent third act.