Damien Chazelle’s 2016 film, La La Land, is one of the great cinematic triumphs of all-time. It has returned to theaters to celebrate its 10th anniversary, and it continues to make viewers swoon with thoughts of joy and happiness while watching it.
La La Land could be the definitive romantic story in which the lead characters do not end up together at the end.
Under Chazelle’s competent direction, stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling create unparalleled magic on-screen with song and dance numbers reminiscent of some of the best movies in the Golden Age of Hollywood, such as Singing in the Rain.
Emma Stone won the Best Actress Oscar for her work in Chazelle’s masterpiece and rightfully so. She plays the struggling actress, Mia, who gives the middle finger to Sebastian (Gosling), an up-and-coming pianist, on the highway right after the film’s showstopping opening song and dance number that features people are dancing on top of their cars with plenty of pizzazz.
Gosling is a true gentleman in his role and has all the markings of one of the great all-time Hollywood actors. Meanwhile, Stone has those distinct qualities that make her ever so endearing in her first Academy Award winning performance.
Mia has fellow female roommates who get together with her for a party scene that rivals the big party at the beginning of The Great Gatsby movies. That early sequence in the 2016 film is one of the first of many numbers that keep the audience tapping their toes throughout the duration of the film’s running time.
Of course, the meat and potatoes of Chazelle’s film are the romance scenes where our main characters’ passions and desires for careers in their chosen would-be professions come into light. Stone’s Mia does a one-woman theatrical show late in the picture in which nobody shows up, but it paves the way for a potentially prosperous future for her, thanks in large part to the help she receives from the kind-hearted Sebastian.
Those scenes in Chazelle’s movie where the characters date and interact with one another are so charming with one scene showing Mia changing her shoes to dance with the charismatic Sebastian. There is phenomenal choreography in the dance sequences that keeps the momentum of the movie building and the romance between the stars budding ever so beautifully.
Emma Stone is such a delight in her role. Her wide-eyed wonder and excitement genuinely comes across in this film. Gosling is the definitive “Mr. Right,” who comes along and sweeps Mia off her feet in the most grand way one could ever imagine.
Damien Chazelle won the Best Director Oscar for his work on La La Land, and it shows. There are so many ways the film pays homage to old school movies right from the start where it shows the CinemaScope logo on the screen.
There is also the delicate matter of the film’s ending, which is so beautiful, thanks to the charisma of Tom Everett Scott in a supporting performance as Mia’s lover that makes for the most memorable role of Scott’s career. We genuinely understand how Mia got to love another, even if she will carry memories of Sebastian with her forever.
La La Land is a musical for all to cherish forever. In retrospect, it’s hard to leave this movie without reflecting on our own dreams and life experiences. This film makes one cherish the time that is so precious with the one we truly love romantically.
Artists will appreciate Chazelle’s movie even more than “regular” people. This film shows the struggle of the artist to maintain one’s artistic integrity when all visible signs may point to failure.
Mia works at a coffee shop at the start of the film, and we see how all artists have humble beginnings, but also, they don’t forget where they came from if they do make it big as at the end, Mia is the customer rather than the worker in the coffee shop.
The songs are great. “City of Stars” is the easiest-to-hum tune of the ones showcased in the movie. It’s a powerful tune that digs deep as it somehow explores the talented individuals that made it through to the other side known as fame, and the song suggests there were lives that the “stars” left behind in the process.
Other highlights of La La Land include its picturesque California backdrops and the way the characters move and groove in some of the most flat-out lovely dance sequences of all-time. Stone and Gosling are the quintessential movie coupling of the decade that was the 2010’s, and watching them create romantic love on-screen is like watching two masters of their craft in motion.
Damien Chazelle’s film is a work of true art and will never be forgotten in the world of cinema. Moonlight is a fine film, but sometimes fools dare to dream that it was La La Land that secured that Best Picture Oscar win. Here’s to the fools who continue to dream, and the love they hold dear in their hearts as lovers and artists.
La La Land was re-released in theaters by Lionsgate to celebrate the film’s 10th Anniversary.
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Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Critics Choice member who has written film reviews for most of his life, starting at age 11 when he crafted his first full length movie critique on the film, "Roxanne," a Cyrano story featuring Steve Martin. As a result of that review and other movie obsessive writing, Thomas was awarded a creative writing award in sixth grade. Thomas is the proud author of nine books, including two highly acclaimed novels, "To Never Know" and "Social Work." Thomas can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) or at a New York City movie theater watching the latest hit or independent movie. You can also run into him at Tribeca or at the New York Film Festival.