La La Land (2016)
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A struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress fall in love while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles.
The story
In Los Angeles, a struggling jazz pianist named Sebastian and an aspiring actress named Mia encounter each other and develop a connection. As they navigate the difficulties of their respective careers in the entertainment industry, they find themselves falling in love. The story follows their shared journey of ambition and romance as they attempt to balance their personal feelings with their professional goals in the heart of the city.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
While stuck in Los Angeles traffic, jazz pianist Sebastian "Seb" Wilder encounters aspiring actress Amelia "Mia" Dolan. After a series of professional setbacks, Mia attends a party where she meets Seb, and they share a moment of connection. They eventually begin spending time together, exploring their passions for music and film. They move in together while Seb works in a jazz club and Mia pursues acting. Their relationship faces strain as Seb joins a successful pop band, leading to a falling out and Mia moving back to her hometown. Later, Seb finds Mia and convinces her to audition for a film. She performs a successful audition, and they acknowledge their mutual love. Five years later, Mia is a successful actress married to someone else, and Seb has opened his own jazz club. They share a final, bittersweet moment of imagining what their lives together might have been.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 128
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Damien Chazelle
- Writers
- Damien Chazelle · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ryan Gosling · Sebastian "Seb" Wilder; Emma Stone · Amelia "Mia" Dolan; John Legend; Rosemarie DeWitt; Finn Wittrock; J. K. Simmons
- Genres
- musical; romantic comedy; drama
- Themes
- struggle of being an artist
- Tone and mood
- bittersweet; romantic
- Premise and plot tags
- musical; romance; Hollywood
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its direction, screenplay, performances, and musical elements. It was hailed as a modern classic and one of the best musical films of the 21st century.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 91% · scale: percentage · review count: 469; Metacritic · score: 94 · scale: 100 · review count: 54
- Awards and nominations
- Volpi Cup for Best Actress · Venice Film Festival · win; Academy Award · Best Actress · win
- Production trivia
- The film was shot on celluloid 4-perf Super 35mm film rather than digitally.; The film's production designer created numerous fake old film posters, some with titles from Chazelle's earlier work.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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