Anyone else think it's just mediocre?
I think this film is worth seeing just for the opening and it's also fantastic the way they present LA, but it's so run of the mill unrealistic.
I don';t think the film is bad or even just okay. Yes it's good but I don't think it's OUTSTANDING. Aside from the fate of their relationship it's barely original. It's such a fantastical and idealistic view of Hollywood as a maker of films and as a system and as a representation of the American Dream. It's so re-affirmative of Hollywood that it will win most of it's nominations even if other films are better and more deserved of that attention. But the Oscars are bull anyhow, it's just hollywood trying to praise itself while excluding virtually all of world and independent cinema.
This films wants to be innovative, but recedes into familiar territory with beautiful talented heterosexual white protagonists given their happy ending. (I actually do think it's pretty original that they both needed each other to accomplish their dreams but that they couldn't do it if they stayed together) This film could have done such a better job at being more and more effectively self-critical/self-aware or cynical, but it wants to eschew all of this becuase it just wants to pay homage to Hollywood (Which is absolutely fine) It comes off as pretentious becuase it doesn't really revolutionize in the same way the band producer speaks of when confronting Gosling about his character's traditionalist ways.