By Patrice L

La La Land has been the talk of Oscar season. It won all seven of the Golden Globes it was nominated for including Best Actress for Emma Stone and Best Actor for Ryan Gosling and is now nominated for 14 Academy Awards. It has been loved by critics and audiences alike. So is it worth the hype? Simple answer: yes. It brings a new edge to an old genre of movie musicals.

Set in sunny Los Angeles, a jazz musician (Gosling) falls in love with an aspiring actress (Stone) in a fun and romantic jazz inspired musical. It has gorgeous cinematography, hilarious and heart-breaking dialogue, and a beautifully touching story all set to foot-tapping jazz music.

The amazing direction of Damien Chazelle and the fantastic performances of the whole cast made the movie an instant classic. The soundtrack is full of beautiful songs with “City of Stars” and “Audition (Fools Who Dream)” both nominated for Best Original Song.The soundtrack has the incredible talent of jazz composer and pianist Justin Hurwitz, however Gosling provided tunes of his own. Every scene where Gosling’s character Sebastian was seen playing the piano was truly him playing. Gosling already had a background of piano and spent three months learning jazz piano so there was no need for a body double. Both Stone and Gosling also did their own dancing and singing.
Incredible talent, intense heart and powerful passion bring this wonderful story about love, romance, and following your dreams to life. The film is a must-see for movie and music lovers alike.