Review: La La Land is one of 2016’s best films

Few movies from last year stood out more then La La Land, an amazing musical that even people who do not like musicals, needs to see. Set in Los Angeles, the film stars Ryan Gosling as Sebastian Wilder, a down on his luck musician, and Emma Stone as Mia Dolan, a law school dropout who seeks to become an actress. After running into each other numerous times, Sebastian and Mia begin a relationship which sets up the crux of the film.

While on the surface La La Land might come across as a soulless, Oscar-bait film that tries to be a musical similar to one from Hollywood’s golden age, audience members will find out that is not the case.

The main theme in La La Land is chasing your dreams and the consequences and benefits of doing so. This all culminates with easily one of the best endings from any movie released in 2016.

Of course, a musical is nothing without a great set of songs, and La La Land does not disappoint. Some of the standouts are “Another Day of Sun” and “Someone in the Crowd.” La La Land easily has the best film soundtrack from last year. It is not surprising that not one, but two songs, “Audition (The Fools that Dream)” and “City of Stars.” were recently nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.

The only glaring problem with La La Land would be its runtime. Despite being a little over two hours, it drags towards the end. This is surprising considering the rest of the film moves at a fast pace.

Despite this one flaw, La La Land is still one of 2016’s best films. It has terrific characters, amazing cinematography, and a soundtrack that will stick in the heads of audience members long after they hear it. With all the attention La La Land is getting, expect it to stay in theaters for quite some time.