I'm a big fan of musicals - on film and in the theater - so I had high hopes for La La Land. Combine its genre with the fact that it seemed like a love note to the great city of Los Angeles, always a rich backdrop for a film, and I was eager to see this movie.

I was sorely disappointed.

First, the casting of Gosling and Stone is all wrong. Neither can sing, or at least certainly not well enough to make the many musical numbers enjoyable. The dancing in the film is basic and didn't hold my attention, including in the much-lauded opening number.

So, if neither Gosling nor Stone fit the bill based on their musical abilities, maybe their on-screen chemistry would explain their roles in this picture? Not even close. I couldn't believe for a second that these characters really loved one another. There was no credible romance between them; I'd go so far as to call their relationship awkward.

Stone, for her part, delivers her lines very well and has much more range as an actor than Gosling, who, no matter how many movies I see him in, always seems to be playing a caricature of himself. But her talent isn't enough to save the film.

Then, there is the plot. There is very little of it. The movie, clocking in at just over 2 hours, feels like 3. So little attention was paid to story, and so much paid to fetishizing mid-Century Hollywood filmmaking, that I couldn't help by feel the film dragging and stumbling from one poorly written set piece to another, without succeeding at captivating my interest at any point.

For example: Gosling's character is set up as a down-and-out struggling musician without an ounce of opportunity or luck on his side. What, then, explains his seemingly effortless rise in the film as he scores a gig playing with musicians he used to swoon for as a spectator, or the way he suddenly hops into national stardom by partnering with John Legend's highly successful band? There is nothing that really explains his character's quick transition from bitter failure to jazz superstar.

There is a charming final song-and-dance number in La La Land, but it comes too late to save the movie.

Overall, La La Land is a half-baked pastiche of a movie with forgettable music, lackluster dancing, thin story, and insincere character development.

SKIP IT!