It's hard to watch Damien Chazelle's jazzy work without hearkening back to the films of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly. But La La Land differs from its ancestors in one notable way: It contains fewer instances of characters singing songs than most musicals in history.

How is La La Land different from other musicals?

Musicals use song to open a window into the characters' emotions, but every once in a while, a piece comes along that uses the music as a mechanism to give greater meaning to the narrative. In La La Land, the music isn't a reflection of the characters' emotion, but rather, it's their passion.

What makes La La Land different?

The movie is celebrated for its enchanting blend of nostalgia and modernity, seamlessly marrying the classic charm of Hollywood musicals with a contemporary storyline. The film's stunning cinematography captures the magic of Los Angeles and enhances the emotional impact of the narrative.

Why is La La Land a masterpiece?

La La Land stands out from other Hollywood romances because it is a realistic portrayal of love that many people can relate to. The work of cinematographer Linus Sandgren in “La La Land” is breathtaking. With its vibrant colors, creative camera work, and meticulous attention to detail, the movie is a visual feast.

What kind of musical is La La Land?

La La Land is a 2016 American musical romantic drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress who meet and fall in love while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles.

Why La La Land is a Masterpiece

What is the message of La La Land?

This movie demonstrates the dilemma people face in pursuing their dreams while giving up what they love and making sacrifices. Achieving your dreams sometimes comes at a price. It hurts to see the characters fall in love, then split off into the world to perhaps never see each other again.

What musical inspired La La Land?

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Ryan Gosling recently revealed that Singin' in the Rain was a direct influence and inspiration on La La Land.

Why was La La Land so sad?

La La Land's ending, for those who do invest in Mia and Seb's romance, is utterly heartbreaking. The film makes it easy to root for them to achieve everything they want - to be together and to realize their dreams — and learning that it wasn't possible is a crushing moment.

Can Emma Stone really sing?

While Emma Stone can carry a tune, her voice lacks any real power. This becomes most noticeable in her dramatic solo "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)." Her vocals lack the emphasis of the bittersweet lyrics, but her passionate acting still provides plenty of emotion to carry the number the rest of the way.

Did Ryan Gosling learn to play piano in La La Land?

Gosling spent four months learning how to play the piano every day to get to a level that would make his jazz musician character Sebastian convincing. The film was shot with many long takes, so if you think there was room for CG manipulation or a pianist look-alike, think again.

Why is La La Land so blue?

Chazelle employs the color blue throughout his film to symbolize creativity, control, and classical Hollywood. He channels these themes through his character Mia, a young woman who moves to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a star.

Why is La La Land so colorful?

Chazelle's intentional introduction of colour in La La Land personifies this sentiment as it proves that the aesthetic use of colour is a warning that is doomed to fail because it represents a fantasy, something controlled and unreal.

Why is La La Land perfect?

A Natural Romance for Life. La La Land is a movie about a romance but not just a romance between people—it's a romance for life, for seeking one's calling, and for the romance of old Hollywood (La La Land itself is a common nickname for Los Angeles).

What percentage of La La Land is singing?

It turns out that, once again, La La Land is at the extreme low end of the spectrum. The entire film had a 132-minute runtime, but only 23 minutes and 23 seconds were devoted to singing, or 18% of the movie.

Is La La Land considered jazz?

Many critics have charged that the film has very little real jazz, while others have emphasized the racial problematics of making the white hero a devout jazz purist while characterizing the music of the one prominent African American performer (John Legend) as all glitz and tacky dance moves.

Why is the movie called La La Land?

La La Land is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama movie. Its title is a reference to the nickname for the city of Los Angeles. It is also an idiom for being out of touch with reality.

Do they lip sync in La La Land?

Emma Stone performed "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" live. She would decide when to switch from dialogue to singing. There was no pre-recorded track she was lip-syncing to. Justin Hurwitz, the song's composer, was in another room playing piano in her ear.

Did Ryan Gosling learn to dance for La La Land?

The actor always showed up ready to train, despite his packed production days. “He was doing dance lessons with the choreographer, piano lessons, training with me, and that was all before he was needed on set,” says Babaian.

Does Ryan Gosling really sing in La La Land?

He also famously sang "City of Stars" in La La Land, a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination, and played the piano in the movie.

Why did Mia and Sebastian not end up together?

The dream sequence reveals that had Sebastian and Mia stayed together, Sebastian would not have owned the Jazz bar, and would still be appreciating other people's work from afar with no opportunity for his time in the spotlight. By breaking up when they did, both were able to be free to focus on their dreams.

Did Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling date?

Although the twosome were never romantically involved in real life, Gosling and Stone developed a fast friendship on set of the rom-com. “She's everything, all the time,” Gosling shared with MTV News at the Crazy, Stupid, Love premiere in July 2011. “There's no one like her.

What is the number one saddest movie?

What style of dancing is La La Land?

Although the dance styles featured in “La La Land” (jazz, contemporary, tap and a few steps from ballroom among them) are as varied as its influences, several moments in the film evoke American cinema's most famous dancing couple.

Did the actors do their own singing in La La Land?

Unlike almost every musical where the singing is done post filming and autotuned to hell, La La Land gives us the raw audio, them singing and acting at the same time.

Is La La Land based on Casablanca?

One can say that La La Land is the flashback sequence from Casablanca shown in detail. Both of these stories are about dreams. It is the dreams of the characters which drive the story and deliver the drama. Dreams are what create conflicts and raise obstacles for the characters in the plot.