La La Land is teeming with razzle-dazzle and ritzy regalia. It's one hell of a show, but much of this pomp drifts aloft, waiting to be anchored to a story that needs it to thrive, and not one that enlists it for affectation's sake.

Its strongest moments occur when we glimpse creative impulse as possessive force, like when Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) deviates from a safe setlist of Christmas ditties to deliver an impassioned jazz improvisation at the first sight of Mia (Emma Stone).

I had a bit of trouble buying the relationship progression between Mia and Sebastian. As individuals, we know their dreams intimately, but much of their interplay is crying out for a tangible spark. There is a lot of critiquing the other person's outlook, and not enough commitment towards finding a middle ground. You might argue that this makes for a more interesting film than one where two lovers agree on everything, but the problem is that Chazelle is asking us to root for their coupledom. The most fervent chemistry reveals itself during the musical numbers, but these are also the scenes where the artifice that underpins Los Angeles comes to the fore. It is in this way that La La Land trips over its own feet. Perhaps the greatest illusion the film weaves is that we are watching Ryan Gosling the actor court Emma Stone the actress.

While it doesn't quite hit the mark as a convincing study of two creatives trying to be faithful to their vocations while circumnavigating matters of the heart, La La Land succeeds as both escapism and spectacle, and is virtually wasted if not experienced in a theatre. The costuming and choreography transcends throwback status and stands as the work of a young filmmaker who is forever dreaming of new ways to approach what is arguably the most malleable medium in cinema. The score is beautiful and while not every original song is remembered after the end credits roll, each composition we hear is markedly different to the one that precedes it.

In July 2016, I saw Alain de Botton present a lecture on love. A key point from that evening was that the person we spend the rest of our life with will not be the person who loves us unconditionally or who shares all of our interests. Rather, we will find our ultimate romantic partner in the person who makes us suffer in the most familiar way. If we hold that thought, La La Land is a keeper—temperamental and ostentatious, and yet so effortlessly enchanting.