A well-crafted and shot ode to musicals of the former era that manages to take a similar story and turn it into something grand.

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2017)

With La La Land, director Damien Chazelle proves with this and his 2014 effort Whiplash he's a talented and ingenious film maker at a young age, and female lead Emma Stone dazzles us with her shining, glistening aura throughout, although un-nuanced writing and a poorly paced middle section weigh down the film from "masterpiece" to only a truly great movie.
La La Land contains moments and scenes where you just can't help but marvel at the absolute luxury that film goers have in watching films of this caliber. Utilising widescreen CinemaScope (tsk tsk), the stunning cinematography and effectiveness of shots can render many an observer to an incapacitated mess on a floor drenched in drool. There is not one whiff of over-exaggeration in that statement. The cinematography is a clear bonus to this film.
In addition, the musical numbers are excellent and wholly nostalgic and whimsical. Although singing from the two leads does leave some more training to be desired. The thrilling "Another Day of Sun" number at the start features a singing/dancing show for our pleasure, and this one set-piece will go down as one of the great moments in recent musical history. But the best (and possibly most prominent song) in the film is the quiet and introspective "City of Stars" which features the lead Ryan Gosling as its performer. The song simply oozes classic Hollywood, and is a great addition to the fantastic sound heard throughout the film.
Performances are satisfactory at worst (particularly from male-lead Gosling) and truthfully, it is the star-power of Emma Stone that carries this film. As Mia, she carries a bubbly, sun-shining effervescence that allows viewers to fall completely in love with this character. With her eyes alone, we can learn much about who she is as a character. More so than many other aspects of this film, she keeps us interested, and we want to see her arc come to a solid and happy conclusion. Gosling. although willing to show restraint in his acting, much like his co-star, cannot elevate himself to the level of Stone (though that isn't a criticism on his part, since he was great as a struggling Jazz pianist Sebastian. He just wasn't able to compete with Emma's Oscar-worthy performance).
In terms of direction, Chazelle proves he's only gotten better since directing his 2014 Jazz masterpiece Whiplash. However, his writing leaves more to be desired. The two leads manage to make use of Chazelle's lazy writing and turn their characters into fully realized and 3 dimensional people, luckily for Chazelle. Furthermore, the middle section, as some others have pointed out, feels rushed and not comparable to the start and end of the film. I myself, completely agree. Although we get to see the chemistry between the two leads on full display, we don't see anything matching the vibrant musical introduction to Los Angeles, or the simultaneously triumphant/sad although magnificent conclusion to Mia and Sebastian's story.
All in all, I wouldn't be surprised if this film earns that Best Picture Oscar and I wouldn't mind one bit. It is a fantastic film, featuring great direction, an astonishing female lead performance from Emma Stone, wonderful cinematography, amazing music and musical numbers and is an original take on a long historic genre of film.