Movie-making is a multi-billion dollar business, even in the face of cable TV, videogames and smartphones. But does the world really need Hollywood anymore? Can cinema still feel like magic, or have we become too cynical, too self-aware for the medium to cast the same spell? La La Land is unabashedly sentimental, but in such a heartfelt way that it feels less like mindless nostalgia and more like a call to arms: if Hollywood can rediscover its passion, the movie seems to say, then maybe the magic will follow. Chazelle’s use of jazz music isn’t just a recurring motif carried over from the drumming romance-drama-horror of Whiplash. In La La Land, jazz is used as a metaphor for the Hollywood musical: a once popular genre that has fallen out of mainstream favour. But as Chazelle demonstrates, the old-school musical can still carry resonance if it’s written and made with creativity and conviction. Like an accomplished musician, Chazelle takes familiar riffs and serves them up in a way that feels personal and new. Mia and Sebastian keep bumping into each other, but it’s hardly love at first sight. Mia’s captivated by Sebastian’s piano playing in a restaurant, but Sebastian’s in a bad mood because he’s just been fired by his boss (JK Simmonds) and storms past her in a huff. The next time the pair meet, Sebastian is playing keyboards in a hideous 80s cover band – a scenario Chazelle mines for some deliciously awkward comedy. Chazelle constantly finds something truthful in his scenes of falling in love, auditions or playing gigs. Beyond the warm glow of romance, the vulnerability of presenting yourself as an actor or a musician feels honest and raw. When one of Mia’s attempts to break into the film industry falls flat, Stone’s handling of her character’s rejection is perfectly judged. Likewise Gosling, whose style of acting is so loose and natural that, in some movies, it almost feels as though he isn’t doing anything. Here, his character’s longing for success, his passion for music and his boyish optimism are all there to see in his face. La La Land is out now.