The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
La La Land
Comedy · Drama · Romance · 2016
Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
Movie details
La La Land
“Here's to the fools who dream.”
2016 Comedy · Drama · Romance 2h 9m
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
8.0 / 10
760K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
91 %
Tomatometer
Metacritic
94 / 100
Metascore
TMDB
7.9 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over La La Land?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Hitch
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Great Expectations
Comedy · 1998
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Pretty Woman
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Vivian is a carefree, streetwise diamond in the rough when she meets sophisticated billionaire Edward in a chance encounter that turns into a week-long business arrangement. But Vivian's energetic spirit challenges Edward's no-nonsense approach to life, and soon they are teaching each other – and falling in love!
Burlesque
Drama · 2010
Ali leaves behind a troubled life and follows her dreams to Los Angeles, where she lands a job as a cocktail waitress at the Burlesque Lounge, a once-majestic theater that houses an inspired musical revue. Vowing to perform there, she makes the leap from bar to stage, helping restore the club's former glory.
Step Up All In
Romance · 2014
All-stars from previous installments convene in glittering Las Vegas, battling for a victory that could define their dreams and their careers.
Home Again
Comedy · 2017
Life for a single mom in Los Angeles takes an unexpected turn when she allows three young guys to move in with her.
Rock of Ages
Comedy · 2012
A small town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip, while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.
Waiting for Forever
Drama · 2010
A Hollywood-set romantic tale of a guy who is content to live his life without a job yet with the love of his life, a young actress.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Damien Chazelle
Written by
Damien Chazelle
Ryan Gosling
Sebastian
Emma Stone
Mia
John Legend
Keith
Rosemarie DeWitt
Laura
Finn Wittrock
Greg
Callie Hernandez
Tracy
Sonoya Mizuno
Caitlin
Court is in session
Put La La Land on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.