La La Land is a beautifully made love story musical, and very much a celebration of the classic musicals from a bygone era.

Our two main characters are Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling).

Mia is an aspiring actress who dreams of silver screen stardom while suffering repeated rejection at auditions. Sebastian is frustrated Jazz pianist forced to put up with bit-part opportunities, either solo or as a band member, while he dreams of opening his own Jazz Club.

Both actors perform their roles well - whether speaking, dancing or playing - and that all important chemistry so essential to a good love story is certainly there in this film.

Will each realise their ambitions? Will they fall in love and live happily ever after? These are the two simple questions at the heart of this warm and colourful film.

Though beautifully made and very pleasant on the eye, La La Land never really took off for me. There simply wasn't the emotional pull to care overly about the characters, or the hoped for variety and mastery of musical set pieces. In fact, too much of the music was a repeat of what had gone before and my hunch is that no songs from this film will become engrained classics like those of old. I just wanted more . . . I was waiting for lift off and it never arrived.

Hats off to all involved for departing from the violent norms of so many modern day blockbuster films. They've made us a charming, sweet and dreamy movie. It might fall short in some respects, but it's still nice to see.