What follows is a "what if" montage. Hurwitz reprises the film’s "Epilogue" theme, showing us an alternate reality where Sebastian kissed Mia harder, where he went to Paris with her, where they had a child. It is a Technicolor dream sequence that mirrors the fantasy of the opening.
This is not a tragic ending but a realistic one. Chazelle argues that the fantasy (the musical) is a lie we tell ourselves to cope with reality. The true "happy ending" is that both achieved their dreams, even if that meant sacrificing the dream of "together." The final look between the characters is one of gratitude, not regret.
From the opening shot—a four-minute, Steadicam-driven musical number titled "Another Day of Sun" set in a gridlocked Los Angeles freeway— La La Land announces its intentions. This is a film unashamed of its influences. Chazelle channels the kinetic energy of Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg , the elegance of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and the melancholic jazz of Vincente Minnelli.
Ryan Gosling complements her perfectly with a stoic, almost old-Hollywood masculinity that melts away to reveal a deep passion. Sebastian is not just a pianist; he is a preservationist, fighting to save jazz from becoming "ringtone music." Their romance feels inevitable, a connection of two souls who understand the isolation of ambition. La La Land
sang some songs live on camera rather than pre-recording them. Gosling also spent months learning to play the piano for his role, performing all his own sequences without doubles or CGI. Musical Composition The score was composed by Justin Hurwitz , a longtime collaborator of Chazelle.
Sandgren’s use of CinemaScope (2.55:1 aspect ratio) is critical. This wide format, abandoned by most modern films, was the standard for 1950s musicals. It allows for complex blocking in single takes (e.g., the "Another Day of Sun" opening on the freeway). The use of vibrant, saturated color (Mia’s yellow dress, the purple sky) creates a hyper-real world that contrasts sharply with the drab, realistic interiors of audition rooms.
The film follows two struggling artists navigating the professional and personal pitfalls of Los Angeles: What follows is a "what if" montage
Songs like "City of Stars" capture the tentative, hopeful nature of new love, while "Someone in the Crowd" provides a vibrant, if slightly melancholic, look at the Hollywood party scene. But the true standout is the score’s recurring motif, "Mia and Sebastian’s Theme." Played primarily on piano by Gosling (who learned to play the piano specifically for the role, refusing to use a hand double), this melody haunts the film, representing the bond between the characters.
| Aspect | Classic Musicals (e.g., Singin’ in the Rain ) | La La Land | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | External (getting the show on stage) | Internal (sacrificing love for art) | | Romance | The couple ends together | The couple ends apart | | Reality | Escapist; problems solved by song | Song highlights the pain of reality | | City | A soundstage | Real Los Angeles, flawed and beautiful |
9/10 Recommended for: Fans of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg , Whiplash , and anyone who has ever chosen a career over a relationship. This is not a tragic ending but a realistic one
On the surface, the plot is simple. Mia is a barista and aspiring actress who auditions for pilots and horror movies, only to be interrupted by the director’s phone calls. Sebastian is a jazz purist who dreams of opening his own club, "The Chicken on a Stick," but finds himself playing "Jingle Bells" at a tiki restaurant to pay the bills.
Chazelle "pillaged" the aesthetics of classic musicals like An American in Paris , Singin' in the Rain , and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg to create the film's visual language. Key elements of this homage include:
La La Land is a paradox: a musical that distrusts escapism, a romance that celebrates breakup, and a love letter to Hollywood that reveals the industry’s emotional costs. It succeeds because it does not provide catharsis but rather a profound, melancholic acceptance of life’s trade-offs. For those willing to abandon the expectation of a traditional happy ending, it remains a masterpiece of tone, color, and heartbreak.
Composer Justin Hurwitz recorded the soundtrack with a 95-piece orchestra in the same sound booth used for The Wizard of Oz , eschewing modern synthesizers for a timeless sound. The Swarthmore Phoenix