I don't know if it is the director or the actors but there is no chemistry anywhere in this film. It plays like two actors trying to be the archetypal pushy male and the bored female and not quite pulling it off. Also, the tame sex scenes have been obviously exploited by the film makers to publicize the movie. Gosling is a fine actor; here he is given too much freedom as he doesn't seem to have any idea about how the masses make love or feel. His performance is the first failure of his career. But, it's not all his fault.
It's as if the copious rehearsal time has robbed the essence of what happens in real life. We act out our lives in surprising and inexplicable turns. There are no surprises here. Extensive acting play has taken the place of the spontaneity and complexity of real life. Then again, nobody will know the difference. This is a movie you're supposed to like. Even if it has nothing to do with the life you're living. It's what directors and actors think we are like but we are not that simple. Ever.
It's as if the copious rehearsal time has robbed the essence of what happens in real life. We act out our lives in surprising and inexplicable turns. There are no surprises here. Extensive acting play has taken the place of the spontaneity and complexity of real life. Then again, nobody will know the difference. This is a movie you're supposed to like. Even if it has nothing to do with the life you're living. It's what directors and actors think we are like but we are not that simple. Ever.