The musical “La La Land” – set in present day Los Angeles – tells the stories of aspiring actress Mia Dolan and jazz musician Sebastian Wilder, two characters struggling to fulfill their ambitions in a town known for smothering hopes and dreams.

The movie focuses on the labors of everyday life and explores finding happiness, joy and the pain of longing.

Emma Stone plays the role of Mia. She is well-known for many acclaimed roles, such as Gwen Stacy in both “The Amazing Spiderman” films, “Superbad,” “Crazy Stupid Love,” “Ghost of Girlfriends Past,” “Zombieland,” and many more.

Ryan Gosling was cast in the film in the role of Sebastian. He played lead roles in the movie adaptation of “The Notebook” (based on the book by Nicholas Sparks), “Crazy Stupid Love”, and “Ides of March.”

Another addition to the cast was the famous American singer and songwriter John Legend, who recently recorded a song with singer Ariana Grande for the film “Beauty and the Beast” (2017).

The relatability of the two main characters as they fight to achieve their life goal makes the movie hard not to fall in love with.

The first meeting between Mia and Sebastian doesn’t result in much; they brush past each other and nothing more. They continue their normal lives and both struggle to find a job, pay rent and find love.

Eventually they lose faith in themselves and question their ability to achieve their dreams, something we’ve all done at least once in our life.

The traditional Hollywood style between Stone and Gosling is reminiscent of the 1952 musical “Singing in the Rain.”

In the article “Singin’ in the Rain Impacted La La Land More Than You Think,” author Ryan Roshke wrote: “Our first inkling that La La Land has much deeper ties to Singin’ in the Rain came earlier this month [February], shortly after the tragic death of Debbie Reynolds. During the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Ryan Gosling paid tribute to Reynolds.”

Gosling noted the cast watched “Singing in the Rain” every day, crediting Reynolds as an unparalleled talent and thanking her for a “wonderful career of work.” Fans of the 50s musical will definitely fall in love with this movie.

The musical numbers were meticulously thought out; most of them were constructed to look like a single-take shot. The directing, cinematography, and choreography were splendid.

The chemistry between Stone and Gosling was perfect for the movie. There was no awkwardness in their acting.

You could see the sincerity of their emotions in the characters: even though it’s scripted, the two actors put their own style into their roles.

The soundtrack of the 2016 film was incredible. All the songs were composed by Justin Hurwitz, who also composed songs for two other movies.

“Start a Fire” was written and performed by John Legend. At the 89th Academy Awards the movie won the Oscar for best film score.

It also won Best Original Song for “City of Stars.” The melody and lyrics are beautiful and fit each scene perfectly. The movie may not have succeeded as well without the incredible choice of arrangement and catchy songs which left you humming in the theater.

Despite the mix-up at the 89th Academy Awards, it won twelve awards, including best actor, best actress, best cinematography, best director, and best production design.

It won many awards at foreign award shows as well, such as London Film Critics Circle, Toronto International Film Festival, The Goldene Kamera (Germany), Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA), Venice Film festival, Whistler Film Festival and the International Film Music Critics Association.

The review website Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an approval rating of 93% based on 338 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone rated “La La Land” four out of four stars, described it as a “hot miracle” noting his admiration for the musical numbers, especially the opening score.

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune also praised the same scene and Stone’s performance; he said, “She’s reason enough to see ‘La La Land.’” Even though he wasn’t as excited about Gosling’s performance he still gave the film four out of four stars.

The New York Times writer and critic A.O. Scott stated that the film “succeeds both as fizzy fantasy and a hard-headed fable, a romantic comedy and a showbiz melodrama, a work of sublime artifice and a touching authenticity.”

Overall, the movie is full of laughter, astonishing musical choices, and a beautiful love story all rolled into one. If you are looking for a great musical, go see this incredible film. This movie is now available to rent at Redbox for only $1.50.