“La La Land” performs its way into audience’s hearts (Review)

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La La Land breaks records at the 74th Golden Globes.

A combination of beautiful music and an unforgettable message, La La Land is a romance to remember.

The movie follows Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a pianist with dreams of opening a jazz club, and Mia (Emma Stone), a talented actress waiting for her big break. Their paths intertwine over the course of a few months and they get to know each other.

From the first scene, a well-crafted musical number that takes place on a congested LA highway, I felt connected to the film. Aspiring artists jump from their cars and sing about the Hollywood dream.

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, the film made its first debut at the Venice Film Festival and became an instant hit.

Their love story is shown in vibrant imagery accompanied with a beautiful music soundtrack by Justin Hurwitz. These two attributes are what made me fall in love with this film.

From Mia’s bright dresses to beautiful sunset dance numbers to literally floating into the stars for a romantic dance: there was something so simplistic but breathtakingly beautiful about the scenes.

Heartbreaking but brutally honest, the ending of this movie is teaching viewers that sometimes everything truly does have to be sacrificed in order to achieve your dream.

Chazelle’s clever ending breaks away from the average “happily ever after” template. This provides a refreshing new perspective on their story.

However, I did not feel the movie was as incredible as everyone said. It was a really good movie, but I would not call it a cinematic masterpiece.

In the 74th Golden Globe awards, La La Land broke a record. They won all six awards they were nominated for: best motion picture- musical or comedy, best director, best screenplay, best score, and best acting awards for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. 

Was this movie truly as great as critics said? Maybe not- but I left the theater feeling inspired to follow my own dream, and by my standards, that makes it a movie worth watching.