Honestly, I thought I was going to hate La La Land. Musicals have never really been my thing, so when everyone was obsessing over it, I fully expected it to be one of those overly dramatic, artsy movies that I’d sit through once and never think about again. I assumed it would be all style and no substance.
Instead, I ended up completely loving it.
What surprised me most was how emotionally grounded the story actually felt underneath all the color, music, and big Hollywood energy. The film starts off feeling whimsical and dreamy, but the deeper you get into it, the more it becomes a story about ambition, timing, sacrifice, and the reality that sometimes love alone is not enough to make two lives fit together.
I think that’s what stuck with me the most. Sebastian and Mia genuinely love each other, but they also have dreams they’ve spent their whole lives chasing. The movie never really paints either of them as the villain for choosing themselves and their futures, which made the ending hit so much harder. That final montage absolutely destroyed me in the best way possible. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, nostalgic, and somehow hopeful all at once.
And visually? The movie is stunning. The colors, the cinematography, the music, the dance numbers, all of it works together in a way that feels magical without losing the emotional core of the story. “City of Stars” still randomly gets stuck in my head all the time.
I went into La La Land expecting to roll my eyes at it, but instead I walked away thinking about it for days afterward. It ended up being one of those movies that sneaks up on you emotionally and stays with you long after the credits roll.
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