La La Land

Ah, "La La Land." The movie everyone loves to love. This movie, written and directed by Damien Chazelle, starred Ryan Gosling as Sebastian, a struggling jazz musician, and Emma Stone, an aspiring actress named Mia. Honestly, I have pretty mixed feelings about "La La Land." When I initially heard that Ryan Gosling was starring in a movie paying homage to traditional Hollywood, I jumped for joy. That being said, my initial love for the film has significantly diminished. I could provide commentary on what I thought of the performances, direction, cinematography, and other aspects of film that I traditionally touch on in my blogs, however I think it is much more important to express my frustration towards the reaction to "La La Land."

Don't get me wrong, I really liked "La La Land." I think it was a really exceptionally crafted movie and had a lot of fun watching it. However, I strongly take issue to the extreme positive reaction it received from critics, particularly in regards to award nominations. People have reacted to "La La Land" as if it is this novel idea to film- there is nothing original about musicals, in fact the intention of the film was to pay homage to musicals of the 1950s. "La La Land" is up for fourteen Oscars- that's almost unheard of. While I think "La La Land" was a strong film, I most certainly think that nearly every other Best Picture nominee is more worthy of a win. I genuinely think a lot of damage can be done if "La La Land" wins Best Picture this year. A lot of progress has been made following #OscarsSoWhite- formally beginning two years ago (although this has evidently been an ongoing issue). There's certainly been an increase in diversity in nominations. 7 minority actors were nominated for their performances this year. This improvement is significantly noteworthy- I distinctly remember being horrified two years ago that David Oyelowo wasn't nominated for his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Ava DuVernay's "Selma." Although it is great that nominations for Oscars this year are more diverse, there is a strong likelihood that "La La Land," featuring a nearly all-white cast (with the exception of John Legend, playing a musician who in fact breaks away from traditional jazz), will sweep at the Oscars this year.

It was easy for critics to be charmed by "La La Land." It is a love letter to Los Angeles and the world of entertainment. I think there are several aspects of "La La Land" that are deeply flawed. For instance, Gosling's character, Sebastian, plays a jazz musician hoping to open his own jazz club. He spends much of the film explaining jazz to Emma Stone's character. It is important to recognize that jazz is rooted in African American culture. Its fundamental roots tie into oppression of black people. I understand the importance of reintroducing jazz into mainstream society, and think this film made a great effort to do so. My guess is, though, that jazz enthusiasts wouldn't necessarily think of this film as a progression in showcasing jazz. Jazz is a raw, emotional art form, and "La La Land" didn't attach much significant emotion to the music specifically. I think there could have been changes made to the film that could have made it so much more meaningful. Imagine if Sebastian, or even Emma Stone's character, Mia, was portrayed by a black actor. I'm really impressed that Gosling learned how to play great jazz piano music for this film, but I would have liked to see a relatively unknown black actor, perhaps one with an actual background in jazz, portray this character. We already see the story of white people succeeding in Hollywood time and time again. It would be revolutionary to create a production such as "La La Land" demonstrating a minority figure struggling and succeeding to make it in a predominately white industry. Instead, we see two exceptionally narcissistic white leads leaving behind true love to further their careers.

I do recognize that "La La Land" is a great film despite these flaws. I really didn't want to reiterate the million reviews already posted raving over it. I wanted to challenge the major issues that aren't getting talked about as much. "La La Land" serves to emphasize white favoritism in Hollywood. I just hope the Academy can recognize the critical and timely importance of the other best picture contenders. "Manchester by the Sea" tells a story of contrition. "Moonlight" tells a story of identity. "Lion" tells a story of raw hope. These themes, among others, have much more gravity and importance than the superficial themes of ambition in "La La Land." It's definitely a fun film worth seeing, but I do not think it's entirely worthy of the high praise it's receiving.