Both sentimental and realistic is tough to pull off, but done well here.

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2016)

Spoiler Alert I've done it! I've seen it! I confess I was looking forward to it and had great hopes. USUAL STORY LINE: B (trite but true) NARRATIVE ARCH: C (slow in places; jumbled fantasy flash of what could have been jumbles up the ending). MUSIC: B (serviceable, one terrific song). ACTORS: A+ (winning, fun to watch, masters of their craft, well-done). OVERALL: B+ Both sentimental and realistic. I liked it. Why? Because the story line is carried well by the actors who are consummate professionals, great to look at, move and sing service-ably. In numerous close-ups, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are just mesmerizing and flawless. They make it fun and easy to ignore the shortcomings.