La La Land

***La La Land*** is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, respectively, who meet and fall in love while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles. John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, Finn Wittrock, and J. K. Simmons appear in supporting roles.

*La La Land* premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2016, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 9, 2016. The film was a commercial success, grossing $448 million worldwide on a production budget of $30 million, and received widespread critical acclaim with particular praise given to Chazelle's screenplay and direction, the performances of Gosling and Stone, score, musical numbers, cinematography, and production design. It went on to receive numerous accolades. It won a record-breaking seven awards from its seven nominations at the 74th Golden Globes and received eleven nominations at the 70th British Academy Film Awards, winning five, including Best Film. The film also received a record-tying fourteen nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, winning in six categories, including Best Actress for Stone and Best Director for Chazelle.

## Plot

Jammed in a wide stretch of highway in sun-kissed Los Angeles, the morning commuters--Sebastian, a suavely charming jazz pianist whom life's got him on the ropes, and Mia, a brilliant playwright waiting for her big break--are off to a bad start. Of course, Sebastian, a purist with an undiluted taste in music, has a serious plan for the future. On the other hand, Mia, an incurable romantic mesmerised by the allure of the old Hollywood, is consumed between meaningless auditions. These two proper L.A. dreamers are meant for each other--and as they keep running into each other under the city's starry nights and plum-hued sunrises--a magical old-school tap-dance romance timidly commences. Indeed, this is the kind of effervescent love that defies reason, that inspires one to have long walks while gazing at the Milky Way of the city's flickering lights; nevertheless, life is as exciting as it is challenging, and the two idealists begin to veer from their dreams. Does true love exist only in the movies? Do dreams ever come true?

## Why It Rocks

1. Outstanding direction from Damien Chazelle.
	* The "*A Lovely Night*" sequence was filmed in a single shot.
2. Amazing and colorful visuals that fit the aesthetic tone of the movie.
3. The setting of LA looks beautiful.
4. The cinematography is breathtaking.
5. Excellent acting and singing from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
	* Gosling even learned to play piano because he didn't wanted to use doubles; **now, that's commitment.**
6. The chemistry between both actors is spot on.
7. Great musical numbers with spectacular and well-done choreography.
8. Memorable songs, including "*Another Day in The Sun*", "*Audition (Fools Who Dream)*", and "*City of Stars*".
9. The poster is really pretty and now almost iconic.
10. The way in which the movie pays tribute to classic musicals and romance films is very amazing.
11. The ending is very sad; with Mia and Sebastian finally achieving their dreams, but at the cost of each other.
12. The main aspect the movie wants to highlight is that life is not like a fairy tale and that the decisions one makes in their life have consequences that make a great impact on their lives.

## Trivia

* Damien Chazelle became the youngest director to win an Academy Award when he won for this film
* Ryan Gosling turned down the role of The Beast in the 2017 film *Beauty and the Beast (2017)* remake to play Sebastian in this film.
* A highway interchange in Los Angeles was shut down to film the opening musical number.
* Choreographer Mandy Moore had to hide under a car during part of the opening musical number to give instructions to the performers.
* The scene where Mia is interrupted while giving a very emotional audition is based on a true story that happened to Ryan Gosling.
* Ryan Gosling learned how to play jazz piano for the movie, practicing two hours a day, six days a week for three months.
* For the six-minute single-shot dance number in the Hollywood hills, production filmed only during “magic hour” (the time just before sunset). It took two days and eight takes to get it just right.

## Reception

*La La Land* was highly acclaimed by critics, with them praising its screenplay, direction, acting, score, and the chemistry of Gosling and Stone. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 91% based on 434 reviews, with an average rating of 8.63/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "*La La Land* breathes new life into a bygone genre with thrillingly assured direction, powerful performances, and an irresistible excess of heart." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 93 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". It was the third- and sixth-highest scoring film released in 2016 on each respective site.

## Videos

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## External Link

* Template:IMDb
* Template:Rotten Tomatoes