I went into this expecting a really fun movie, and ended up alternating between watching it and reading a short story (and I finished most of the story.) It had great potential, but even allowing for the fantasy during the musical numbers, which I personally enjoyed, it simply wasn't developed well enough and the plot had a lot of holes. If people don't like jazz these days, how is he going to get them to come to a jazz club, no matter how "pure" the music is? Or especially if it is rarified? Do people really show up at auditions with so little attention to their appearance? If she doesn't like jazz, why is she so struck by his jazz music?

The worst problem is that the singers all have weak voices, which detracts tremendously from the songs. I didn't find the music memorable, but I enjoyed it at the time. The stars aren't great dancers, either. I never came to care very much about them; they didn't have a lot of chemistry and were only intermittently likable.

I would have liked most of the musical scenes, except for the amateurish singing and dancing. I don't see a lot of movies, so I generally didn't get references, if that is what the people who liked the movie were charmed by. The romantic and professional angst scenes were too long and too many. Isn't it o.k. if Gosling "sells out" his music until he can earn enough for his club? How else does he expect to get the money if his preferred art form is dying? That was when I started reading on my iPhone (the ringer was turned off.) I thought that the final scene was very well done, although it didn't tie into what went before too well. It doesn't really connect to the decision point that preceded it.

I see by the reviews that some people hated what I loved, and vice versa, so good luck deciding whether or not to see it.