I watched this movie way after its release, but I have fallen in love with the movie. A combination of music, amazing casting, and even an inspiring story makes this one of the best movies I have watched in a long time. I was ready to dismiss this movie because it is a musical and I am not very fond of musicals, but this movie changed that. The fact that it is a musical is evident but not in your face and the music and singing are blended in with the story so well, whereas other musicals will pull a song out of anywhere. Talking about the story, this one surprised me. I was expecting another happily ever after, but I was quite disappointed, but that makes me like it even more. It is much more realistic, showing that not every love story is meant to be a happily ever after. It shows the struggle that two individuals need to go through when their paths are so separated. Both of them want to achieve there dreams, and to do that they must leave each other. Mia’s smile and Sebastian’s little nod at the end of the movie was a really nice touch. It conveyed how even though their paths were now separated, they still had some love between them some way or another. They both helped each other reach success on their own respective paths, and though they may not be happily ever after, they both find happiness knowing that they fulfilled their dreams, as well as knowing that the other was able to do the same. At the end of the film, they even give us a glimpse of an alternative reality, where the two do get their happily ever after ending and get married, but it is not all happy. There first encounter turns from a rude pass to a passionate first kiss, Sebastian turns down the offer to join Keith’s band, and Mia’s play is a success. But in this reality, they both settle down, and Sebastian never opens the club. In this reality it shows that even together, they could not be happy. One person, or both of them would have to give up their dream in order to stay together, so they made a choice to leave each other. This movie shows how not ever love story is a happily ever after, as there are certain things such as dreams that require big sacrifices, such as leaving your partner for a career. I am glad the filmmakers didn’t take the easy way out and just have it so that they married. I believe that it is better this way; it shows us a reality that is very much real, amongst a world that seems dreamlike. I personally would say that this love story rivals that of Jack and Rose in Titanic. The ending is incredibly sad, but makes sense. They were destined for much more than just each other, and they could not allow their love to come in the way of their careers. I mean I would have liked an ending where they end up together in some way or another. But this ending is also good. This is why I absolutely love this movie. Also, the song City of Stars absolutely slaps.