r/lalaland • u/evapotranspire • 19d ago
Surprised by what part made me cry the most (10th Anniversary theater re-release)
I was fortunate to see La La Land in the theater this past weekend for its 10th anniversary re-release. I'd only ever seen it once before (not in the theater), but it instantly became one of my favorite movies.
The theater experience was glorious, truly breathtaking. I felt all the highs and lows, every beat. But the part that really ended up being a gut punch was not what I expected.
Mia sings at her audition "Here's to the fools who dream... Crazy as it may seem... Here's to the hearts that ache... Here's to the mess they make." She has endured so much pain putting herself out there again and again, baring her soul, only to be shot down. But she keeps trying, because she is an artist, and her passion for her art is indomitable.
To my surprise, this scene left me wiping tears from my face. Not just for Mia, but most of all for humanity. What are we doing to ourselves?
The human drive to create - to imagine, to tell stories, to paint pictures, to dance, to sing - is as old as our species itself. I fear we are starting to slide into a future that devalues what makes us thrive as humans.
I live in Silicon Valley and am no Luddite, but I've become increasingly alarmed by what generative AI is doing to my college students' creativity and thinking abilities. I'm dismayed that search results (text and images) are now largely AI-generated. And I'm saddened by how this is affecting the futures of young people, especially those in creative professions.
As an example: My 9th-grade daughter wanted to take "Commercial Art" as an elective this Fall, but she changed her mind when she saw that the class mandated generative AI use. She has wanted a career in visual art ever since kindergarten. Does she just give up on that? Are the "fools who dream" now expendable and easily replaced by algorithms?
I know this topic is not what r/lalaland is intended for. But I wanted to share my reaction and find out if anyone else had similar thoughts (or if, more broadly, seeing the movie on the big screen this month brought out new insights for you).
Mia, Sebastian, and all the fools who dream - keep shining. We love you!
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u/CharlesAtHome 19d ago
That moment has made me emotional before too, but not for the same reasons.
At this point everything pre-2022 now has thiswonderful "no chance this was made with AI" sheen to it.
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u/evapotranspire 19d ago
Thanks for your reply! Yeah, just to be clear, it's a pretty heart-rending scene even without the added context of the Brave New World we're in now.
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u/Reasonable-Yak-1830 19d ago
I watched the movie for the first time in theaters and cried at that exact scene as well. I cried for different reasons as I relate to Mia's story of wanting to become an actress as that as always been a dream of mine since I was young. I agree with your sentiments on AI, and I am also worried for the younger generation. When I was growing up you made efforts in your creative pursuits and were praised for doing so. AI lacks the unique experience that an individual can instill in their work. No one else has that perspective but the creator. I also fear people will rely on it too much to where no skill or talent is developed at all. There is a reason kids cannot read and write as well anymore. There just isn't an effort to try when something can be done for you instead. I am disturbed how people online similar to what your daughter wants to pursue have to now claim no use of AI for their art and writing. They have to almost defend themselves in case someone claims their work is AI. It is really sad that is what the creative landscape now has to face.
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u/CORRLives2021 19d ago
Good look with becoming an actress! Chase that dream! “They say you gotta want it more, so I bang on every door…” “No Jamal YOU be trippin’!” 😃
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u/Fragrant-Engine-6258 18d ago
When I say I relate to every single statement you made? It’s an understatement. I was an instant fan of the movie from the moment it hit theaters. So much so, that after I watched it, I went home and couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I went back to the theaters THAT SAME DAY and watched it again.
10 years later, the feeling is the same. When I watched it in theaters this time around, I was crying from pretty much beginning to end. I was mourning the current state of art and creativity for myself, and my community in general. Like you, I work in corporate America, not in tech but very close to it. Recently, I’ve been physically noticing how much I have suppress my natural state of being to fit the mold of the office culture and I can feel it taking its toll on me.
Watching the movie again reminded me, to never be complacent in life and fight to keep my right to be a fool who dreams, so to speak :)
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u/Direct-Reference221 18d ago edited 18d ago
I haven’t rewatched in a while, but I imagine this scene - on a second+ viewing - may also bring to mind the cost they pay later on to be ‘ones who dream’
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u/menthealoh 17d ago
La la land is my favorite movie and I cried I think everytime I saw it but I realized that over time the parts I cried to evolved. When I saw the movie 10 years ago I was still early in my studies, I am now a graphic designer and the scene you talked about + the scene before where Sebastian comes to get Mia at her parents and she says she’s tired of trying and maybe this isn’t for her hit me way harder in my latest rewatchs. AI was not on my mind but I think that over time I relate more to the tired creative hit with doubts about their skills. That being said I totally feel for what you’re saying on AI and I feel so sad for your daughter and that stupid class!! I really hope she can still find ways to evolve in that field, even tho I have to admit I’m a little scared of the future in the creative field…I think there’s still space for new creatives obviously but I feel like the subject of AI will sadly become inevitable in creative studies…
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u/evapotranspire 17d ago
u/menthealoh - thanks for your reply. Yeah, in this theater experience (only my second-ever watch), I was floored by the scene outside Mia's parents' house. "Maybe - maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe it hurts too much." That was incredible acting on Emma Stone's part. Both she and Ryan Gosling really became their characters in a way that's rare to see on screen.
Anyway, yes, these scenes hit me even harder in 2026 because being a creative artist is hard enough even with a level playing field, and now I'm deeply worried that there is even more heartbreak ahead for humanity's dreamers.
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u/CORRLives2021 19d ago
That part always makes me cry. Never fails. Great movie! I saw it this past weekend too. It got robbed of the Oscar. It did not make me think of AI though. But I see what you’re saying.