La La Land

Name: La La Land
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance, Musical
Released: December 9, 2016
Duration: 128 min
Rating: 94
Cast: Emma Stone, J.K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ryan Gosling

2016

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 54 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 2152 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 2152 Ratings

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La La Land

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Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: December 9, 2016 | PG-13

Starring: Emma Stone, J.K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ryan Gosling

Summary: Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail piano gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked soMia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail piano gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.… Expand

Director: Damien Chazelle

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance, Musical

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 128 min

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Awards & Rankings

4	#4 Best Movie of 2016
8	#8 Most Discussed Movie of 2016
15	#15 Most Shared Movie of 2016

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Mark Kermode

Apr 13, 2019

Like the musical itself, the film has timeless charm and a brave sense of adventure. Bravo! Read full review

100

Mike Scott

Dec 13, 2016

La La Land is a film with strikingly broad appeal. Whether you're a "Star Wars" geek or a hopeless romantic, a jazz fan or somebody who complains they just don't make 'em like they used to anymore, you'll la-la love it. Read full review

100

The Telegraph Robbie Collin

Aug 31, 2016

La La Land wants to remind us how beautiful the half-forgotten dreams of the old days can be – the ones made up of nothing more than faces, music, romance and movement. It has its head in the stars, and for a little over two wonderstruck hours, it lifts you up there too. Read full review

100

Ann Hornaday

Dec 15, 2016

The real star in La La Land is the movie itself, which pulses and glows like a living thing in its own right, as if the MGM musicals of the “Singin’ in the Rain” era had a love child with the more abstract confections of Jacques Demy, creating a new kind of knowing, self-aware genre that rewards the audience with all the indulgences they crave...while commenting on them from the sidelines. Read full review

The Film Stage Rory O'Connor

Aug 31, 2016

It’s a twinkling surface examination of how humans try to coordinate their dreams with their reality (a very Hollywood conundrum), but also a celebration of just how wonderful old filmmaking techniques and emotions look and feel on modern L.A. streets. Read full review

Lawrence Toppman

Dec 20, 2016

If “Whiplash” was Damien Chazelle’s bullet train through dark regions of the New York jazz world, La La Land is his leisurely bus tour through sunlit fantasies of life in Los Angeles. Read full review

Christopher Gray

Dec 5, 2016

Every element of La La Land is bound up in a referentiality that largely precludes the outpourings of emotion we come to musicals for. Read full review

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User Reviews

triple_co

Jan 29, 2017

La La Land is a phenomenal, moving and powerful escape that triumphs in every department. The music, cinematography, performances and narrative are all exceptional. The film mixes the contemporary with the traditional musical format and the payoff is enormous. Audiences are given charactersLa La Land is a phenomenal, moving and powerful escape that triumphs in every department. The music, cinematography, performances and narrative are all exceptional. The film mixes the contemporary with the traditional musical format and the payoff is enormous. Audiences are given characters of substance and reality, surrounded by dreamy colour and choreography. It's a film about romance, dreams, hopes, music and above all, the human experience. An utterly breathtaking movie that offers constant wonder. Unmissable.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

Eliasc

Jan 15, 2017

Without a doubt, 'LA LA Land' is the best film of the year and one of few films I plan on buying when the blu-ray is released. La La Land is an update to those Fred Astaire - Ginger Rodgers movies of the 1930's. Think 'Top Hat' or 'Swing Time'. Wonderful music and songs, great acting againstWithout a doubt, 'LA LA Land' is the best film of the year and one of few films I plan on buying when the blu-ray is released. La La Land is an update to those Fred Astaire - Ginger Rodgers movies of the 1930's. Think 'Top Hat' or 'Swing Time'. Wonderful music and songs, great acting against a colorful backdrop of Los Angles locations. The quality of the cinematography, lighting, and set design is simply astonishing well done.… Expand

4 of 9 users found this helpful45

Moviebuffreview

Dec 9, 2016

After watching this film at the Chicago International Film Festival, my original plan was to wait until closer to the film's actual release date to give my thoughts on it. However, after sitting with it for two days, with the images and sounds still sweeping through my mind, I cannot helpAfter watching this film at the Chicago International Film Festival, my original plan was to wait until closer to the film's actual release date to give my thoughts on it. However, after sitting with it for two days, with the images and sounds still sweeping through my mind, I cannot help myself. I will be as vague as possible, because I do not want to ruin the experience of seeing it for the first time, but I have to talk about it.

La La Land, as it has been advertised, pays homage to classic movie musicals. Not only does it visually allude to films such as Singin' in the Rain and The Band Wagon, but it also preserves the upbeat, wondrous tone of those classics. There is something wonderful about seeing this tone and style recreated for a modern film. Cynicism and pretentiousness are completely absent from this film, and nostalgia and joy take their place.

But calling La La Land a terrific recreation of the classic movie musical is selling it short. Like director Damien Chazelle's previous work, La La Land has much more going on narratively than the movie may lead people to believe. On the surface, this is a love story about two artists trying to make their ways in Los Angeles. However, this framework is deceptively simple.

La La Land forces us to think about the realities of personal relationships and artistic endeavors. It explores the excitement of our dreams, the hardships of pursuing these dreams, and forces the audience to question the importance of both. Fortunately, Chazelle never looks down on the audience with these ideas. They are not presented in a heavy handed manner, and he never forces you to think a certain way.

On top of its thematic richness, La La Land has one of the best understandings of film as a storytelling medium that I have seen in recent years. On the surface, it is the most technically astounding. The cinematography is stunning, and the soundtrack is beautiful. Even better is that both the visuals and soundtrack are never used in a way that is shallow or uninteresting. La La Land has an understanding of how to tell a story visually. It understands the power of sequencing, the power images can have on the emotional impact of a story, and the way in which these images simultaneously indulge our fantasies and remind us of our humanity.

In other words, for me, it embodies everything that I love about movies.

There are instances that everyone can recall in a cinema where we have felt what I like to call "movie magic." These are evoked by the films that completely absorb us into its world, and movies that have a lasting, personal impact on us far beyond the theater. They are the films that we hold as the pinnacle of what makes watching movies so great.

La La Land is one of those movies.

During its 128 minute running time, the only time I wanted to look away from the screen was to turn to the people around me and check and see if they were experiencing the same kind of magic that I was. I can affirm that everyone I saw in my theater was.

La La Land is a masterpiece. It is not only the best movie of 2016 so far, but also possibly one of the best of the decade. It's spectacular, stunning, moving, and absolutely magical.… Expand

28 of 42 users found this helpful2814

yezo

Jan 7, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The movie is good. I recommend you to watch it.
First of all, I almost scared myself off at the beginning of the movie. The first singing and dancing of the big group. When I noticed the sound and the visual is not in syn, I was so worried that this is doomed. The first singing was not in syn, what can I expect for the rest of the movie. Thankfully, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling saved the day. All the singings are fine at the end.
If I were the edition, I would definitely ask the team to reshoot the first scene, edit it, or delete the whole thing. But I know the first scene connect with the scene at the end, so it might be a hard decision to delete it.
The story is great. The combination of drama and movie is cool. It does remind me of Birdman, but this is a more enjoyable and watchable.
I love the music. I think Justin Hurwitz proves himself with his talent after Whiplash.
If Hurwitz ever opens a bar, I will definitely visit it.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

Zerpnos

Mar 5, 2017

Gerek verdiği aşk duygusu, gerekse müzikleri için bile bu film izlenir. Aşk duygusunu hissederken müzikler eşliğinde büyülendim. Normalde müzikal sevmeyen biri olarak, kesinlikle bu filmi izleyin diyorum.

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

shoulderoforion

Jan 22, 2017

It was alright, there were some moments of joy/wonder in this homage to Hollywood golden era musical romantic comedy, but both the romance & comedy fell short. The "what if" montage was devastating. Better than bad, but in no way great.

3 of 10 users found this helpful37

Zezo94

Jul 7, 2020

Boooooooooooooooooring So bad I can’t complete the movie Don’t watch it

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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