Quick question, Damien Chazelle: for how long have you been snooping in my dream diary? Because the trailer for your new film, La La Land, feels like a dream I created in my mind’s eye. It has literally everything good (save aliens and time travel): Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, old Hollywood romanticism, dancing, and singing—lots and lots of singing. And to have this musical written and directed by the writer/director of Whiplash? Be still my ever-loving heart. It’s like my brain has leapt from membrane to screen.
True to Chazelle’s form, La La Land tracks two performers trying to stay afloat in a world determined to crush their dreams. In the film, Mia (Emma Stone)—an aspiring actress—and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling)—a dedicated jazz musician—are struggling to make ends meet in a city, “known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts.” Even though it looks like something straight out of a period piece, the musical is actually set in modern day Los Angeles. It makes sense, though, for it to feel so vintage: this city is the pinnacle of being non-ironically retro. Plus there’s something about this aesthetic that just works with that level of romanticism when you’re telling stories about kids fighting for their right to pursue their dreams. Sorta like rose-colored glasses, but different.
Needless to say, we’re head over heels with anticipation for La La Land when it hits theaters in December 2016. Are you looking forward to it? Let us know in the comments below (bonus points if you do it in song)!
And here’s Ryan Gosling playing a rousing rendition of “Nice Guys or Private Dicks” with us:
Image: Summit Entertainment
