Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone star in this hugely anticipated new musical film. But what do critics make of it? 

Jonathan Baz Reviews: ***** “what a refreshing joy it is to see a musical that’s prepared to see its characters fantastically burst from speech into song and dance and to erupt into numbers that are new and fresh.”

The Guardian: ***** “Damien Chazelle’s allusion to Singin’ in the Rain is like the rest of his film: wonderfully judged, funny, romantic and charming.”

The Telegraph: ***** “it sends you from the cinema with tears in your eyes, a song in your heart, and a clear six inches of thin air between the soles of your shoes and the pavement.”

Evening Standard: ***** “The feelgood movie of the year has it all — brilliant stars, catchy tunes and a beautiful romance with a very modern twist.”

The Daily Mail: **** “The two leads are both wonderful, radiating real chemistry even though there’s nothing much more to the story than the will they, won’t they of their love affair, and the will they, won’t they of their respective careers.”

Variety: “lavish song-and-dance musical that dares to swoon the old-fashioned way.”

The Hollywood Reporter:  “If you’re going to fall hard for Damien Chazelle’s daring and beautiful La La Land, it will probably be at first sight.”

Den of Geek: **** “it’s a delicate, beguiling delight of a movie.”

Empire: ***** “Audacious, retro, funny and heartfelt, La La Land is the latest great musical for people who don’t like musicals.”

NME: ***** ” From its first moment to its last, La La Land is so adorable that if it had physical form it would be hard to hold back from squeezing it.”

Wired: “La La Land is a whitewashed musical. It’s fun, Emma Stone is brilliant, and the musical energy and set design is invigorating. However, in a film about jazz, it’s just not good enough to have a film with two white protagonists “whitesplaining” a culture to emerge directly out of black American communities.”

Radio Times: ***** “It’s a dizzying whirlwind of romance and sorrow, cinema to make you swoon.”

Rolling Stone: **** “It sweeps you away on waves of humor, heartbreak and ravishing romance. It’s the movie of the year.”

City Am: ***** “here’s to La La Land, a modern classic in the making.”