Musicals have always proven to be big business, with the genre having been a widely popular and staple part of the cinematic diet for decades, but very few have gone on to enjoy anything even close to resembling the levels of critical and commercial acclaim that greeted Damien Chazelle’s La La Land.
Not only did the romantic fantasy comfortably conquer the box office by hauling in close to $450 million on a $30 million budget, but it would go on to complete a clean sweep at the Golden Globes after winning all seven of the trophies it was nominated for, before going on to scoop six Academy Awards from a record-tying 14 nods including Best Director and Best Actress, even if the Best Picture fiasco that saw La La Land initially named as the victor prior to the gong heading Moonlight‘s way overshadowed everything else.
To add another notch in the film’s overflowing belt of accolades, the beloved song-and-dance extravaganza has now become the number one most-watched feature on HBO Max’s global charts per FlixPatrol, having ascended to the top spot in 20 countries since being made available in a multitude of international markets.
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling generate sparkling chemistry as an aspiring actress and jazz musician who face personal and professional obstacles aplenty as they attempt to navigate their careers and romantic entanglement against the backdrop of Los Angeles, with the shared dreams that brought them together now threatening to tear them apart. Old school but decidedly modern, La La Land is sure to go down as a timeless classic.