The beautiful, sweet, and hopeful La La Land is also clever and absolutely absorbing. Review by Matt Cummings There's a moment near the end of Damien Chazelle's musical La La Land where we learn the bitter price that sometimes comes with Hollywood fame, as if life itself can separate even genuine love when dreams get in the way. That uncommon theme is brilliantly portrayed here, prodding its audience through song and dance to take an unrestrained and thoroughly enjoyable journey through what can only be described as the nightmare that makes up the Hollywood System. For jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), the dream of owning an old-school jazz club is assaulted daily as he's forced to plink out holiday music at a darkened restaurant, all while the meany boss (JK Simmons) reminds him to keep the jazz riffs outside. When Sebastian strays too far outside the lines, he's fired but not before the struggling actress/barista Mia (Emma Stone) catches his playi