La La Land, written and directed by Academy Award nominee Damien Chazelle tells the story of Mia played by Emma Stone who is an aspiring actress and Sebastian played by Ryan Gosling who is a dedicated jazz musician. Both are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and dreams. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of following your dreams.

La La Land is probably one of my favorite movies of 2016 as this movie is just so good! Damien Chazelle brings back the 50’s style of musicals set in modern day. Emma Stone gives one of her best performances as she plays a barista who aspires to be a great actress but she can’t seem to find her footing in the acting world after auditioning several times and not landing a role. Ryan Gosling also aspires to open his own jazz club but has to play piano at random restaurants to make a living.

Stone’s singing and Gosling’s piano skills are very surprising talents. Stone had to perform her singing live and gosling had to play piano live also. The movie is humorous, heart-breaking, and hopeful. Every dance number is beautifully choreographed and pairs great with the cinematography. The opening number tells you what your in for the rest of the movie as it is what seems to be a continuous shot as everyone is dancing on an overpass with heavy traffic.

The music is what gives the movie life and has super catchy tunes that I don’t see myself forgetting. My favorite song is “City of Stars” that is coincidentally winning all the awards at the Golden Globes. This movie is dominating award season and it seems like it won’t let up for the Oscars. Damien Chazelle is a type of director that is very rare these days as he set out to create a film that was so great its hard to put into words. Chazelle even shot the movie in 35mm which made the colors pop in the movie. The ending is also not the classic ending that people would expect. It shows that accomplishing your dreams doesn’t mean you will have everything you want in the end.

La La Land is a really special movie that not a lot of people can pull off these days. I really loved this movie and it was just spectacular. I give La La Land a 9.9/10.