It is difficult to simply define what movie magic truly is. However, Damien Chazelle may have provided an easy explanation using only three syllables: La La Land. This romantic musical follows Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a passionate pianist who dreams of one day opening his very own jazz club, and Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress who goes audition after audition in hopes for finding her big break, as their relationship with one another flourishes in the glowing city of Los Angeles. Winning all seven of the Golden Globe Awards it was nominated for and tying an Academy Award record with fourteen total nominations, La La Land is in the works to go down in history as an all-time great piece of cinema.
Chazelle has created a masterpiece, hands down. The instant that throwback Paramount logo hits the screen, the film is a nonstop perfect homage to a key era in film history. The style blended everything great from 1960's musicals with the wonders of modern technology. His choice to shoot a majority of the scenes on location was an excellent effect that modern films should take note of. Aside from one scene that depended on some mediocre green screen effects, the locations kept the story real and believable (though residents of the Los Angeles area who had to deal with those freeway off ramps being shut down may not be as forgiving). The choreography was impressive to say the least. Even more notable would be the camera movements, which required even more perfection that the actors on screen. The cinematographer, Linus Sandgren, did a phenomenal job with these movements, as well as the various stage-like lighting schemes, that would make Emmanuel Lubezki jealous.

The story does take on some genre cliches, but did manage to find some unique ways of getting to those plot points. What really makes this story work well as a musical is the fact that the musical numbers actually progress the story. In most musicals made at this day in age, the story will come to a stop so the characters can randomly break out in song. Then, once everyone stops singing and holds an epic last pose, the film will cut to the next scene and continue the story where it previously left off. The "Someone in the Crowd" scene in the first act of La La Land starts with Emma Stone looking at herself in a mirror at home. Within a five minute song, her friends try to convince her to go to a party, Emma says no, they decide to leave, Emma finally gives in and catches up with them, they drive to the party, Emma's friends get picked up by guys, Emma gets creeped out by someone who tries to hit on her, and then she decides to leave the party. If that isn't storytelling, storytelling may not actually exist. The music was composed very well. The tunes were classic yet modern at the same time. It was clever how various songs were reused in different moments, sometimes done in a different key or tone. These subtle moments served as a hidden plot device that will reward an observative viewer.

Gosling and Stone were absolutely electric, with their chemistry from past films like Crazy, Stupid Love and Gangster Squad clearly carrying over and paying off big time. Stone stole the show, making a valid argument for her contention for Best Actress. There are at least three separate scenes that the Academy has to choose from to roll during the awards show, one of which being a one-take musical number she reportedly performed live on set rather than the typical lip-sync. Gosling gave a much more subtle performance, an art that he has mastered through art-house productions like Drive and The Place Beyond the Pines. His comical body movements throughout the film carried an uncanny resemblance to the late legend Gene Kelly. His dedication to actually mastering the piano to play all of his character's songs cannot go unmentioned, either. In consideration with his work in The Nice Guys earlier this year, Gosling deserves to be right up on that stage with his co-star.

As for complaints, it is hard to pick things to criticize. In the incredible opening musical number, there is an older man visible in the distance that is clapping his hands in the air as opposed to the syncronized dancers around him. Perhaps he has a close relative of a cast or crew member that they let be on the set. There is a short collage of Emma Stone's character going through various auditions that felt unnecessary and placed solely as a filler between two scenes that did not flow well directly next to one another.

Honestly, this a movie that will be remembered for years to come. Every other scene is memorable and feels like something that would appear in a collage of famous scenes alongside Marlo Brando menacing sitting in his chair in The Godfather or Darth Vader appearing from the shadows with his red lightsaber in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The film builds to a breathtaking climax that will make the average viewer not want to blink because they know it would mean missing a single moment of cinematic greatness. Between this and Whiplash, it is clear that Chazelle is on a mission to break stereotypes on movies heavily dependent on older music, and he is doing a fantastic job thus far. Remember the name Damien Chazelle, because it will be a household name like Spielberg and Hitchcock in only a matter of years.