La La Land

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FADE IN...

A sun-blasted sky. We HEAR radios -- one piece of music after

another...

We're --

1 EXT. 101 FREEWAY - DAY

Cars are at a standstill. It's a horrific traffic jam.

Morning rush hour. Sun beating down, asphalt shimmering in the

heat. The blown-out downtown L.A. skyline hovers in the

distance.

We DRIFT past more CARS. Hear one snippet of audio after

another...

One driver taps his steering wheel to PROG ROCK. Another

sings to OPERA. A third raps along to a HIP-HOP track. We

move from a RADIO INTERVIEW to a FRENCH BALLAD to TECHNO,

until finally we begin to hear...

...a new, original piece of music... [ANOTHER DAY OF SUN]

We settle on the CAR from which this new tune is playing.

The driver is a YOUNG WOMAN. She hums along to the riff on

her radio -- then starts SINGING.

Then -- she EXITS her car. Then -- she starts MOVING down the

lane.

One by one, more DRIVERS join her -- SINGING and DANCING

along. Without a single cut, we've found ourselves in a FULL-

FLEDGED MUSICAL NUMBER...

Drivers leap on car-tops, dance Jerome Robbins-style, making

use of the road and the hot gleam of the automobiles. Arms

swaying, feet banging, dancers darting, as the MUSIC blasts.

We WEAVE and SWIRL and DART between and around the cars,

taking the magic in...

Finally -- all the drivers swing back into their vehicles --

and the song comes to a dramatic stop.

Flash title card:

WINTER:

A1 We settle on a new car. A 1983 Dodge Riviera. In it is

SEBASTIAN, 32, L.A. native. He's listening to the radio. He's

playing a track on his music system -- a tape of Thelonious

Monk's "Japanese Folk Song". But he keeps stopping it, over

and over and over -- always rewinding to the same exact spot.

Revision 2.

B1 OMIT

C1 We DRIFT from his car to one further up ahead. A light-green

2005 Prius. Inside is MIA, 27, Nevada-raised. Six years of

"no" in L.A. have toughened her, but she's still a dreamer.

She seems to be on the phone, speaking into her car's system.

Fast, fiery, full of energy --

MIA:

...and I swear to God, she was wrecked.

It was pure insanity.

Mia stops. Thinks. Mutters to herself: "Insanity"... Then

leans down and grabs a piece of paper from the passenger

seat. It's a SCRIPT.

MIA (CONT'D)

(reading now)

Pure lunacy. Oh God, I know...

Just then -- the traffic around Mia starts to let up. She's

too focused on her lines to notice.

Then -- a long, sustained honk behind her: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT.

Mia comes to. Jerked back to reality. The honking car behind

her swerves into the next lane. It's Sebastian. Mia gives him

the finger. We then FOLLOW her as she drives...

2 OMIT

3 OMIT

4 INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

Mia works, photos of Hollywood icons on the wall behind her, as --

CUSTOMER #1

This doesn't taste like almond milk.

MIA:

Don't worry, it is. I know sometimes it --

CUSTOMER #1

Can I see the carton?

Mia hands it over. The Customer looks.

CUSTOMER #1 (CONT'D)

I'll have a black coffee.

Mia gets the coffee. Quickly sneaks a look at a script hidden

underneath her counter. The same one we saw in her car...

Revision 3.

She hands the coffee to the Customer. We follow the Customer

out through the door -- as a WOMAN walks into the shop. We

don't see the Woman's face, but we see all the eyes in the

shop turn immediately to her. We see one CUSTOMER whisper to

another, discreetly pointing as the WOMAN passes by...

WOMAN:

Cappuccino, please.

Mia nods. Gets it made. The Manager takes it from her.

MANAGER:

On us.

WOMAN:

No, I insist.

She pays. Then smiles at Mia and drops a bill in the tip jar.

Mia watches as the Woman walks off, is joined by a STUDIO

EMPLOYEE on a golf cart outside -- we realize this coffee shop

is on a STUDIO LOT -- and is driven away...

Then -- Mia's phone rings. It reads: "MOM". Mia presses

"IGNORE" and the time pops up on the phone's screen: 4:07.

MIA:

Sh*t.

Removing her apron and hurrying out, turning back as --

MANAGER:

Where do you think you're going?

MIA:

It's -- five past...

MANAGER:

You'd better be here early tomorrow.

MIA:

Ok.

-- then realizes she doesn't have her script, runs back to

grab it, hurries on and then -- CRASHES into a table. Coffee

and food spill all over her shirt, and all at once we're --

5 INT. AUDITION ROOM - DAY

Mia's in a thick winter coat, covering her stained shirt. On

her cell, loudly laughing while her adrenaline surges --

MIA (CONT'D)

And I swear to God, she was wrecked. It

was pure lunacy. Oh God, I know...

Revision 4.

Her nerves are practically visible. As she talks, we PULL

BACK -- to see that she's auditioning for a CASTING DIRECTOR.

MIA (CONT'D)

No, no, Turner's fine. So you -- are you

waiting `til Denver to tell her...?

(as her smile contracts)

Oh. I see...

(silence; she clenches her jaw...)

No, you're right. I understand.

(...and a tear falls from her eye)

Ok... I just... Oh...

An ASSISTANT appears through the glass on the door behind

Mia, waving to the Casting Director: Yoohoo. Can I come in?

MIA (CONT'D)

(crying now)

No, I'm happy for you... I -- I just --

CASTING DIRECTOR

One second.

Mia stops. The Casting Director waves the Assistant in. The

Assistant scurries in, shows her boss a post-it. Mia stands

there, trying to hold onto the tears, hold onto the emotion, as

the Casting Director reads the post-it and thinks.

CASTING DIRECTOR (CONT'D)

...I'll call her back. Tell her I'm almost

done in here.

The Assistant nods. Walks out. Mia waits, trying to maintain...

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