A musical that captures the now almost non-existent concept of dreamlike optimism, “La La Land” relieved many dreary, cynical, and anxiety ridden survivors of 2016 of their mounting despondency- if only just for a short two hour time period.

The film opens up with cars stuck in notoriously awful L.A. traffic when the drivers (young wannabe artists) break into the song “Another Day of Sun.” The electric choreography mixed with the hopeful lyrics instantly projects the stimulating feelings of possibility and confidence into the audience, so that by the time the two main sun-gazers are introduced (jazz pianist Sebastian and actress Mia), there is a collectively silent buzz of encouragement throughout the whole theater for the protagonists the achieve their dreams.

One of the most defining moments of the film occurs promptly after the two young dreamers meet. Underneath the swirling purple sky and looking out at the L.A.’s twinkling sea of lights, Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) confess mutual annoyance, prompting a tap dance routine that would put Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to shame. Although they both sing about how they are not a couple, their mesmerizingly fluid movements reveal that love is sometimes so overwhelming that the only way it can be expressed is through your feet.

Although the cinematography visually transports the film back to the classic Hollywood musical era, Stone and Gosling add a classic ‘superstar’ power that dazzles; he is suave and charismatic and she is clever and glamorous. The two in tandem accentuate the other one’s traits, creating an on screen chemistry that gives both Sebastian and Mia depth and richness. La La Land is a story of two people realizing that they are losing their dreams and recognizing that sometimes it takes another person to keep you on track. It’s not so much the romance between Mia and Sebastian that is so entrancing, but the raw, romantic notion of chasing an almost unreachable aspiration.

It is sometimes easier to believe love only exists in movies. It is sometimes easier to let dreams be dreams. La La Land, however, serves to remind us that the world can be as extraordinary and vibrant as we want it to be. It is not so much as another day of sun but the fantasies of the night before, the ones we wake up and want to fulfill that keeps us dancing. Wire Reviewer overall rating: 9/10.