According to Rotten Tomatoes, "Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart."
"The real tension in La La Land is between ambition and love, and perhaps the most up-to-date thing about it is the way it explores that ancient conflict." - A.O. Scott from The NYTimes
"La La Land isn't a masterpiece (and on some level it wants to be). Yet it's an elating ramble of a movie, ardent and full of feeling, passionate but also exquisitely controlled." - Owen Gleiberman from Variety
The two critiques that I included in this article basically sum up my feelings. I believe this film had great potential to be a masterpiece, but it required one more thing to complete. The concept of ambition versus love is always relevant in every time period. The happiness from this film is fleeting. I am not joking when I say an elderly couple was behind my best friend and I crying. One doesn't go to the cinema and watch something that distinctly reminds them of their own sad, depressing, or uneventful romantic life. Not to be direct with anyone, I am just saying. Yet I respect how the film stayed true to Sebastian and Mia. Two people who didn't let love get in the way of their ambition. But is it always like this? Can no one have their cake and eat it too? Cliche as the quote it, I believe it applies in this circumstance. I don't understand how love always falls second when it comes to pursuing your dreams. Without love how can someone love the dream that their pursuing?
Now I am not saying I am a complete professional, but this film was not in the business of making people happy. This film was a perfect example of how life does not go our way. Don't get me wrong! This was a great film. I understand the award nominations because of the music and soundtrack, but can a girl get a little bit of realism during musical numbers? I know you're probably like, "you can't be realistic in a musical" but I feel there is a way to do it. I don't want to give too much away if you haven't seen this movie. However, this film will show you your heart and deepest desires. The film will dangle it right in front of your eyes until you could reach out with your fingers and feel it. The moment when you want to reach out and grab it, it will throw it to the ground and stomp on it. I can't believe how angry I was leaving the theater. Making a long and sad story short, I was livid.
