I’ll get it out of the way now: If you don’t like musicals, you probably won’t like “La La Land.” The same goes for warm, fuzzy banter, Hollywood nostalgia, and obnoxiously artsy cinematography. That being said, the movie was very good. And as someone who’s a sucker for musical numbers, witty dialogue, and innovative camerawork, I was as charmed by the film’s down-to-earth moments as I was impressed by its big set pieces.

Director Damien Chazelle sets the film’s tone in the first scene with the song “Another Day of Sun,” the upbeat music and choreography of which run in contrast with the depressing lyrics While we don’t see any of the actors in this number again, disguising the pain of a moment with a fantastical, sing-songy facade is something we see happening time after time.

The plot gets going when a road rage incident transpires between the two leads, struggling actress Mia (Emma Stone) and also-struggling jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling). Horns are honked, birds are flipped, and the pair’s second encounter goes equally as bad. However, they inevitably take to each other and the warm, fuzzy banter I warned you about ensues. Before long, they’re living together. But despite their love for each other, Mia and Sebastian’s relationship is tested by factors both in and outside their control.

Gosling and Stone, though they succeed in charming the audience with their charisma and onscreen chemistry, may have been poor choices for their respective roles. After all, shouldn’t musicals have leads that are good at singing and dancing?

While I can understand those who question Chazelle’s stylistic choices, without them, “La La Land” would be another run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Chazelle’s trying really hard to make this masterpiece, and though he falls short of that distinction, the singing, dancing, nostalgia, surrealism of the film are what make it all the more poignant and memorable, even if it is a little bit too artsy.