By Travis Johnson
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone reunite for the first time since Crazy, Stupid Love in this romantic musical from Damien Chazelle. Chazelle knows a thing or two about music, seeing as he wrote and directed the flat-out amazing Whiplash, so this is going to be worth your attention.
In La La Land Stone is emerging actress, Mia, while Gosling is soulful jazz muso, Emmett. Naturally they fall in love, but the pressures of success and the treacherous world of the LA entertainment industry threaten to tear them apart. Will their love survive?
Well, maybe – it’s not beyond Chazelle to go for a downer, or at least bittersweet, ending. The smart money would be on the bone of contention being Stone’s character getting more wealth and success than Gosling’s purist musician, but the first trailer is a bit low on narrative detail. It sure looks gorgeous, though.
La La Land hits in January 2017.
