Yes, legitimately great

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2017)

Okay, big deal, they've made an original Hollywood musical for the first time in decades, and the music is okay, and it's all a big L.A. love-fest. Ho-hum.
BUT... La La Land really IS that good, even if it doesn't immediately present itself as anything more than a fluffy confection. This takes its place comfortably with "An American in Paris" (to which it pays considerable homage).
To me this is kind of a "guerilla musical"; most of the shots seemed to source from hand-held cameras. It's a low-budget production that frequently uses lighting effects that would be at home in a high school musical. There's little in the way of purpose-built sets and heavy use is made of locations with showbiz-themed murals and the like.
The movie is set in present-day Los Angeles, and fits the classic romantic comedy rags-to-riches template. Neither lead is either a great dancer or a great singer, but the characters are engaging and they're having so much damn fun that it's easy to get pulled in.
This is a sticky-sweet L.A. love story, presented without a whit of irony, and its sincere cheer is infectious. The original music is nice and catchy and both Gosling and Stone present fun, relatable characters.
***SPOILER*** Where La La Land goes from escapist confection to truly great is in the final number, a bittersweet composition that re-imagines the story of Nia and Sebastian with some crucial differences. It's an expression of regret and longing and somehow makes a meaningful comment about the ways we want to reshape reality. The ending is note-perfect.
Lovely movie. Worth the hype.