Not as Bad as Some Reviewers Think

Rating: 7/10 (6 November 2017)

I'm not generally one to criticize others' opinions or reviews, I definitely believe we're all entitled to our own opinions, but I honestly can't fathom how a number of reviewers are giving La La Land a "1" rating. Do they honestly believe this is worse than Leonard Part 6? Or (in the musical category) My Fair Zombie? OK, so it's not Singing In The Rain, or West Side Story. Or Chicago, or 42nd Street. That certainly doesn't mean it warrants a "1" rating. And to be fair, I don't believe the movie warrants the "10" ratings it received either.
One of the complaints I read was the "jazz" in the movie was not of the level Sebastian (Gosling's character) pontificates about. OK, so they couldn't get Miles Davis or Dizzy Gillespie (of course not, they've been dead for years), but what I heard was good enough (from my non-expert perspective) to set the stage for the movie.
Personally, I enjoyed La La Land, and will most likely see it again. I found the characters engaging and the music entertaining. Is the score on par with Chicago? No, but that doesn't mean it's terrible. I especially enjoyed the opening number, recognizing it was done all in a single take, and marveling at the coordination that must have taken. I've never been a huge Emma Stone fan, but I liked her in this, more than I expected to. Ryan Gosling's character is a bit of a jerk at times, but not so much as to be a detriment to the story.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty solid addition to the musical category.