In the mid-20th century, movie musicals like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Singin’ in the Rain” were commonplace. However, the modern-day movie theatre holds mostly action and adventure films. It is rare to find a movie musical in the theatre and even rarer for such a film to succeed on a large scale. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” manages to both defy the status quo and succeed among a wide range of audiences. The film’s success was confirmed at The 2017 Golden Globes, where it won seven out of seven nominations, including Best Movie, Best Actor, and Best Actress in its genre.

     “La La Land” begins with an upbeat musical number in which actors sing and dance in the middle of a typical Los Angeles traffic jam. The opening is campy and sets the tone for a one-dimensional musical comedy. However, as the plot unfolds, it is clear that “La La Land” is much deeper than the opening entails.

     Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone portray a jazz pianist and an actress, respectively, trying to make it big in Los Angeles. The characters must face the challenge of balancing love and ambition. A combination of good writing and the actors’ talent makes it easy to relate to the characters and their story.

     The film contains uplifting moments, as well as heartbreaking ones. This bittersweet balance is what makes the film succeed. It’s a comedy, it’s a drama. It has energetic musical numbers and realistic life moments. It’s lofty, grounded, dreamy and lifelike all at the same time.

     “La La Land” has something for everyone, from theatre fanatics to the harshest of film critics.