FILM · 2016 · USA
La La Land
- Directed by
- Damien Chazelle
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Studio
- Summit Entertainment, Gilbert Films, Impostor Pictures
305 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
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.
Summary: TMDB
10 Easter Eggs and References in La La Land
- #020
Justin Hurwitz's song "When I Wake" first appeared in Whiplash (2014), where the two main characters listen to it on a date. The same thing happens in La La Land; the song comes to the fore in the background as Sebastian and Mia talk about jazz — exactly the subject the two characters in Whiplash argue about.
- #064
Contains a major spoiler — show
The word 'Fall' represented not only the season but also the decline that would occur in their relationship. It was also the only season shown against a black background and the only one that did not look as cheerful as the others.
- #069
Apart from the opening song sequence ("Another Day of Sun"), Mia and Sebastian appear in every scene of the film. This was also notable in director Damien Chazelle's previous film Whiplash (2014). Miles Teller's character Andrew also appears in every scene of Whiplash.
- #086
J. K. Simmons plays a similarly negative character in this film and in Chazelle's previous film Whiplash (2014). In the earlier film his character was a jazz obsessive, while in this one he hates jazz.
- #130
The 1,200-seat Rialto theatre was built with a stage 30 feet deep to host live Vaudeville shows. Other films shot at the Rialto cinema include The Rocketeer, The Player, Nightmare on Elm Street, part 4 and Scream 2.
- #157
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the epilogue sequence, as they walk in Paris, the camera focuses on a clock showing 12:00, a gentle nod to Midnight in Paris (2011), starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. Just as we did in Midnight in Paris, we question the reality of what happens in the film here too. Rachel McAdams was Ryan Gosling's co-star in The Notebook (2004).
- #169
In the film, Ryan Gosling's character is referred to twice by other characters as a famous but deceased 2016 celebrity. Early in the film his sister calls him Ali, a reference to Muhammad Ali, who died in early June 2016. Later Mia shouts at him and calls him George Michael, who died on Christmas Day 2016, shortly after the film's release.
- #209
Marius de Vries reflects on the opening number: "It was the only song in the film and also the most complex in terms of vocal arrangement, staging and logistics. It was really hard to pin down exactly what the song should be about, but Benj and Justin eventually found the perfect balance between poetry and naturalism… in this hymn to the daily routine of Los Angeles."
- #259
While La La Land references many films, it is also influenced by painters such as Ed Ruscha and David Hockney, who explored the mythology of Los Angeles. The French Fauvist painter Raoul Dufy, known for his ecstatic colors, is also said to have had a visual influence on the film.
- #296
Actor J. K. Simmons plays the Boss at Liptons. He appeared in director Chazelle's previous film "Whiplash," for which Simmons won the Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor in 2015. He is also known for the character J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
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