Damien Chazelle’s award-winning musical may feel like a throwback to the classic Hollywood era of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, but underneath it’s an ode to all the hardworking artists and dreamers in the City of Angels. After all – is there anything more quintessentially LA than a traffic-jam meet cute? That’s how things kick off between Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a struggling jazz pianist, and Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress. Though they aren’t exactly lost in each other’s charms at first (they apparently didn’t get the memo about how they are literally played by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, a one-two punch of charm), they eventually bond over their respective passions as artists. As their relationship progresses, so too do the compromises and hardships they face in their careers. Their love story may be set to grand single-take dance sequences and original songs, but the struggles they face have no guarantee of that happy Hollywood ending. La La Land also stars J.K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt, Finn Wittrock, and musician John Legend. The film went on to win six Oscars, including Best Actress for Emma Stone and Best Director for Damien Chazelle – despite the fact that Chazelle himself struggled for years to get financing for the film. It wasn’t until he found success with 2014’s Whiplash, which also took home several Oscars, that he was able to drum up interest in producing La La Land.