Summary

• La La Land's ending subverts romantic expectations and emphasizes the importance of pursuing one's dreams, even if it comes at the expense of a relationship.
• Mia and Sebastian broke up because they both wanted to pursue their dreams, showing that sometimes sacrifices must be made for personal fulfillment.
• The dream sequence in the ending highlights what could have been for the couple and underscores the choices they made, leaving a lasting impression of their love and growth.

The La La Land ending doesn't give the audience the romantic conclusion that many people might have wanted, but that perfectly fits with the movie's core themes. La La Land is writer-director Damien Chazelle's musical love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood. For the most part, the love story of Mia (Emma Stone) and Seb (Ryan Gosling) fits with that, as the couple meet, sing, dance, and romance their way through the City of Stars, seemingly setting up a happy ending much like those of the films it is so influenced by. However, the La La Land ending takes things in an unexpected direction for a rom-com as its two lead characters don't end up together

Though La La Land pays homage to many musicals that came before, its ending doesn't so much subvert the expectations of those kinds of stories as it does actively use them against the audience. Sebastian and Mia achieve their career goals — he opens his jazz club Seb's, she becomes a famous actress — but at the cost of their relationship. The final moments bring them back together, both in reality and in a dream sequence. However, both only underscore why they had to break up, just how much they meant to one another, and the real meaning of the La La Land ending.

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Why Mia & Sebastian Don't Get Back Together In La La Land's Ending

Mia And Sebastian Find Happiness Apart Despite The Love They Share

Although viewers see Mia and Sebastian break after he misses her play, the movie still teases the possibility of reconciliation until the ending of La La Land. After Mia's successful audition lands her an acting job in Paris, it appears as though Mia and Seb aren't even truly broken up, nor are they back together. Instead, their relationship exists in limbo acknowledging how much they love each other but seeing that their respective path might draw them apart.

In another twist on the old tropes, Mia and Sebastian broke up because they wanted the same thing: to pursue their dreams. Despite how much they loved one another, they owed it to themselves to follow their passions and see where they might lead, even if the cost was their relationship. It's the same reason why Mia and Seb don't get back together in the La La Land ending: each has found their own place in life, with help from the other, but now existing independently.

How Damien Chazelle Explained La La Land's Ending

Chazelle Highlighted The Love Lasting Beyond The Relationship

Since it's one of director Damien Chazelle's most successful movies, it's unsurpising that he has several thoughts about the La La Land ending and the creative decisions he made. Speaking to CNN, director Damien Chazelle gave his view on why Mia and Seb don't end up together in the ending of La La Land, that it was always the plan for the movie — there was no version where they got their happily ever after. He explained that he finds stories where lovers don't end up together romantic, saying:

"I think there’s a reason why most of the greatest love stories in history don’t end with happily ever after. To me, if you’re telling a story about love, love has to be bigger than the characters... [The ending gives] you that sense that even if the relationship itself might be over in practical terms, the love is not over. The love lasts, and I think that’s just a beautiful kind of thing.”

La La Land Ending's Dream Sequence Explained

The Surreal Ending Highlights The Sacrifices That Brought Them To Their Ending

La La Land's ending isn't just based on reality, of course, but also delivers a fantastical scene that shows what Mia and Seb's happy ending together would have looked like. It whisks viewers off on an alt-journey through the biggest moments of the movie: their first meeting becomes a passionate kiss and every wrong turn for their romance instead goes right. It's a poignant reflection on what could have been for the couple, giving audiences the kind of conclusion that would typically be expected of a Golden Age musical without trading off on the movie's key themes.

The most important differences in La La Land's dream sequence, aside from the fact it has them together at the end, comes down to two crucial moments. Firstly, Seb turns down the offer from Keith (John Legend) to join his band, and secondly, Mia's play is a roaring success (with Seb in attendance). Without the former, Seb doesn't get to open his own jazz bar in Los Angeles. Playing at a club in Paris instead, Mia seemingly achieves the greater success (though how much is left unclear, without seeing the same poster Seb walks by earlier). However, there is a lingering question of whether they could have been happy without Seb pursuing his dream as well.

That is, ultimately, why this is just fantasy. La La Land's dream sequence explains the movie's choices. There wasn't an option for both characters to have it all, at least not at the point in time they met and fell in love. Perhaps, as it imagines, it really could be different now, but that opportunity has gone. It shows how there must be compromises and sacrifices in life, whether in terms of relationships or work, pursuit of the arts, or matters of the heart.

Mia's Smile & Seb's Final Song & Nod In La La Land's Ending Explained

The Intimate Moment Ends Their Relationship On A Happy Note

As Seb notices Mia in his club toward the ending of La La Land, he begins playing the opening notes of his and Mia's theme song, before the movie shifts to the dream sequence. When it picks back up in the real world, Seb quietly, almost mournfully, plays the final note as Mia sadly smiles at him. In turn, Sebastian nods back. With these moments bookending the dream sequence in La La Land's ending, it hammers home the reality of Seb and Mia's relationship.

Seb playing the song is an acknowledgment and reminder of their love, of how much their relationship meant, and how much it still means. Mia's smile and Seb's nod complete it: they're no longer together, but they'll always love each other in some way, be grateful for the time they had, and are proud of how far the other has come.

La La Land Ending Detail Highlights The Importance Of Seb & Mia's Relationship

The Name Of Seb's Club Cements The Importance They Had To Each Other

One key detail in La La Land's ending comes with the name of Sebastian's club. The name - Seb's - and logo both came from Mia, who gave Seb a design for his club earlier in the movie. It's a subtle touch that shows just how much their lives impacted one another. They may not be together, but much like Seb wouldn't be the same without Mia, there'd also be no Seb's without her either. Her encouragement for him to pursue his dream, and vice versa, is what led to this, and it's a nice touch to see that honored in Seb's jazz club.

The Key Movies That Inspired La La Land's Ending

Damien Chazelle Drew From Several Films

Damien Chazelle's movies wear their influences on their sleeves, most overtly drawing from 1950s musicals such as Singing In The Rain and An American In Paris, but there are two key films that stand out when it comes to how La La Land ends. One is The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Jacques Demy's 1964 musical romance. Aside from the music, it's also stylistically similar in its use of color, and is broken up into different chapters, giving it a similar narrative structure. Most importantly, it has an ending that opts for bittersweet realism over a Hollywood climax, its romantic leads having a last, poignant meeting showing how they've lost one another but achieved their goals.

The other key influence is 7th Heaven, a 1927 silent movie centered around married couple Chico and Diane, where the former goes off to war and dies. The wife refuses to believe it, clinging on to dreams he's alive; in the movie's ending, it reveals Chico has indeed survived. Or has he? The film sees him return home, without explanation of how he's alive, they kiss, and it fades to black. Is it real or a dream? 7th Heaven allows viewers to choose their own interpretation, and La La Land's ending offers something similar with its own dream sequence. Can both be true? As Chazelle (via Vulture) said of 7th Heaven:

"The reason those two things can coexist is because of how deeply this woman loves him. The emotion was so deep and profound that the laws of time and reality and physics stop existing.”

Is La La Land's Ending Happy Or Sad?

Did Mia And Seb Miss Out On Happiness Or Find It Elsewhere?

La La Land's ending, for those who do invest in Mia and Seb's romance, is utterly heartbreaking. The film makes it easy to root for them to achieve everything they want - to be together and to realize their dreams — and learning that it wasn't possible is a crushing moment. It cleverly uses expectations against audiences, because the idea of them being together is so prevalent in these kinds of movies, and when a musical begins with such a bright, colorful, and sunny opening number to have it end in such a bittersweet way makes it all the harder to take.

However, it can also be argued that La La Land has a happy ending. They may not be together, but Seb and Mia are successful and more importantly, fulfilled. The movie may not go the way anyone expects, and yet looking back to that opening, both characters are in far better places when it ends compared to how it begins. They've loved and lost, but they've also gained so much along the way, with bright futures ahead for both of them.

The Real Meaning Of La La Land's Ending

The Themes Reflect Some Of Damien Chazelle's Other Work

Damien Chazelle's movies have a clear throughline, showing the pursuit of one's dream to the point of obsession, and the human cost that comes with it. This was shown physically, mentally, and emotionally in both the stunning conclusion to Whiplash and also First Man, both of which more intensely focused on the sacrifice that was required. The La La Land ending has a more delicate touch since it's built around romance. Still, the theme remains the same: that committing oneself so completely to an endeavor (in particular an artistic one) is worth it, no matter what it takes, if it's what the heart and soul are truly passionate about.

Chazelle's first movie, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, also has some similarities to La La Land. Guy and Madeline plays out as a very rough, black-and-white version of what his later movie would be, complete with a jazz musician lead character and a doomed romance. Like Seb and Mia, Guy and Madeline also break up. However, Guy and Madeline's ending sees them contemplating whether to get back together or if it's better to move on from the past. La La Land's ending finds a third option: that not all relationships are made to last, but the most important ones leave a lasting impression that shapes lives and should be fondly remembered.

It's fitting that La La Land's ending includes a wistful sequence that sees its main characters think of what could have been, and reinforces why they didn't end up together. They could've chosen their romance, but to them, at that time, it would've been the bigger sacrifice. They may regret it on some level, but it all worked out.

Why La La Land's Ending Is So Perfect

The Bold Ending May Have Cemented La La Land As A Modern Masterpiece

With excellent reviews and Damien Chazelle's Oscar win for Best Director, the love for La La Land as a great movie is evident. However, it ascends to become something truly special in its ending. The whole film plays it loose like jazz, but it's La La Land's ending that takes the biggest swing. It's the movie's boldest choice by far, opting against the far easier conclusion of having Mia and Seb get back together. However, with that, it's a more powerful statement.

It's realism over wish-fulfillment - not all relationships can work out, most people will find contentment rather than perfection, and life is, like jazz, unpredictable and there's a rush that comes with that - and yet offers a dose of the latter too in how they two leads do realize their dreams, both at the cost of but also thanks to their romance. Seb and Mia being together would've been a fine, feel-good ending that sent audiences home happy. Instead, La La Land leaves the audience with a more complicated feeling, but that emotional impact lasts far longer.

Emma Stone Found The La La Land Ending Bittersweet

Stone Suggested Similarities With People Wishing For Other People's "Better Lives"

For lead star Emma Stone, the La La Land ending isn't necessarily sad, rather, it's a reflection of harsh reality. "I find it bittersweet, but also realistic. It doesn't all come true for anyone ever. It's not exactly how you pictured it," said Emma Stone (via Elle). Stone also discussed how the ending of La La Land relates to social media's effect on modern society's skewed perception of life.

"That's why it makes me so crazy to look at social media. When you see people like, 'This is the best life ever! I couldn't be happier,' you're like, 'Shut up, that is not true.' Not everything comes together in the best way ever, every day. It just doesn't. Even when your dream you set out for comes true, it's not always perfect.... That's not the reality of life."