Movie Review: 'La La Land'

Set in contemporary L.A., Ryan Gossling is a struggling musician who dreams of opening his own jazz club. Emma Stone is an aspiring actress looking for her big break. They meet, and after a rocky start, eventually fall in love. We watch their relationship unfold through many musical numbers, against the backdrop of a beautifully photographed Los Angeles.

Writer/director Damien Chazelle, whose last film was "Whiplash," has made a movie that's visually amazing, awash in vibrant colors, while the camera magnificently swirls around the stars as they sing and dance.

It follows the conventions of opulent musicals from Hollywood's golden age, but without the corniness of that era. Chazelle has created fully fleshed out characters with dreams and desires, and Stone and Gosling, who have great chemistry, bring them nicely to life. They are no Fred and Ginger, but they do dance well together. But I wasn't thrilled with either of their singing voices.

It's the look of the film that draws you in, even though the story is not that engaging for most of the movie. However, a fantasy sequence during the last ten minutes justifies the entire film. It's so well done, so moving and thought provoking that I can actually forgive the slower plot pace, and the fact that I wasn't that involved with the characters earlier. It's as if everything in the movie was leading up to that brilliant ending, which knocked me out and made me forgive the many lulls along the way.

Fans of movie musicals will relish this.