Master Rank #152

La La Land

2016

GCML Total9.0640% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Damien Chazelle

CastRyan Gosling · Emma Stone · John Legend

USAEnglishComedy / Drama128 minPG-13
GCML CuratedNarrative FeatureModerate pace
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Oscar · 5Globe · 7BAFTA · 5Venice · 1

Spoiler-free premise

An aspiring actress and a devoted jazz musician fall in love while pursuing demanding careers in Los Angeles.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Aspiring actress Mia works at a studio coffee shop and auditions across Los Angeles, while pianist Sebastian dreams of opening a jazz club. A series of encounters becomes a romance shaped by the opportunities and compromises of their developing careers.

Why it belongs

La La Land renews the Hollywood musical through long-take choreography, saturated color, bittersweet ambition, and Stone and Gosling's imperfect intimacy.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

CinemaScope frames, primary-color costumes, practical location dances, recurring melodies, and transitions between ordinary rooms and heightened fantasy make Los Angeles a musical state of mind—Stone and Gosling let professional drive complicate rather than merely decorate romance.

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