La La Land is garnering quite a bit of attention (and Golden Globes wins) this awards season for its nostalgic take on movie-making, including the musical genre, as well as it’s simple but resonant storyline. When movies featuring superheroes, remakes, and sequels abound, it is refreshing to see something that seems wholly creative. It is not an entirely unique plot, but the performances, tone, and cinematography are the stars of this show. Oh, and the music too! Some of these watch-alikes are referenced in the film itself, while others are similar in style, genre, or tone. I’ve included some Jazz listen-alikes at the bottom as well, for those interested.
Musical watch-alikes:
Singing in the Rain (Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds)
An American in Paris (Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron)
Funny Face (Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire)
Umbrellas of Cherbourg (French; Catherine Deneuve)
Referenced in the film:
Casablanca (Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman)
Rebel Without a Cause (James Dean)
The Red Balloon (French; Pascal Lamorisse)
Showbusiness/Musician-themed:
The Artist (Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo)
That Thing You Do (Tom Everett Scott [who has a role in La La Land], Liv Tyler)
Once (Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová)
Begin Again (Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo)
More by director Damien Chazelle (music/Jazz are definitely a theme):
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (Jason Palmer, Desiree Garcia)
Whiplash (Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons)
More Emma Stone-Ryan Gosling chemistry:
Crazy Stupid Love
Gangster Squad
Whimsical tone:
Amelie (French; Audrey Tautou)
Jazz music references:
Hoagy Carmichael (while Sebastian’s prized stool was fictional, Carmichael is not)
Some classic Jazz pianists:
Jelly Roll Morton
Thelonious Monk
Bill Evans
Herbie Hancock
Chick Corea
Dave Brubeck
Fats Waller