On the Racial Controversy of La La Land

It may be controversial, but part of the beauty of storytelling and movies are the various ways to watch and analyze movies - from individual perspectives to various critical lenses. It's inherent to the ideas of art and beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

From that, I'll share my thoughts on why I think the racial controversy surrounding La La Land is overblown, to the point where it's possibly based more on people's projections and missing/ignoring certain key elements the story. That the film was lauded and released around the same time of Moonlight only further services the controversy.

Goes without saying, but SPOILERS are ahead...

To start, while I'll argue the main concern of the "white savior" narrative regarding jazz is both overblown and possibly non-existent, there are certainly a number of racially charged choices in the film that were either laughable or cringe-worthy, but which could also be viewed from a more positive perspective where diverse actors are still cast in those roles:

-Opening musical number: A truck is opened to reveal a group of black guys ready to play music, smiling
-Pretty much everything that happens in the black jazz club both times - Gosling's initial talk about jazz, then him joining the band later, along with...
-Emma Stone's horrible dance sequence where the black patrons watch amazed (it seemed like a parody, it was so bad)
-Gosling returning a black man's hat, dancing with the black wife then being chastised by the husband (going for a cute scene, but being awkward)
-Towards the end, Gosling jokingly saying the future club owner may be the black jazz pianist

To reiterate, I happily agree there are a number of questionable choices with regards to the story and casting. However, for the central complaint of Ryan Gosling being the "white savior" of jazz, I think the argument falls flat as it's missing the core (psychological) story of the film. To explain, here are the character's arc/stories:

1. Mia - Mia is pursuing her passion of acting by playing the game as it's currently set up, struggling to achieve success. Only when she breaks free of the system and creates her own path does she become lucky and achieve success. She pursues this path by fortuitously meeting someone who encourages her to pursue her passions - Seb. However, as both pursue their passions, the relationship becomes strained, forcing them to separate, mature and grow.

2. Sebastian "Seb" - Seb is an insufferable narcissistic hipster who's so adamant he has all the answers and skills that he pushes everyone out. Only by learning to let go and seek help from others does he gain the success and happiness which allows him to achieve his original dream of starting a business (jazz club). He does this by fortuitously meeting Mia where they enter a relationship and support each other, with Mia encouraging Seb to open up, such as when Seb gets lucky with Keith's opportunity. Similar to above, the relationship becomes strained because, as Seb is growing, he becomes confused with what he wants - career (and what kind) or love.

While Mia and Seb end up parting ways, they still have a love for each other, as seen in the bittersweet ending. It's a very well-done story on growth, maturity and how impactful the people who flow in and out of our lives can be.

I'll argue this was the core story director Damien Chazelle wanted to tell, with all of the Hollywood and jazz parts being set dressing.

That said, regarding the arguments and complaints that Seb saves, then may I present:

Seb does not save jazz. 

Saying Seb saves jazz reveals a misunderstanding of the movie. John Legend's character Keith is the one who saves jazz; Seb just happens to take part it in and use the money he earns to open a club (his original dream). While Seb was constantly, stubbornly argues about what "true" jazz is and how he's the one who's going to save it, Keith eventually corrects him by telling Seb what jazz really is - evolution, change and trailblazing. Remember - Seb is an asshole and flawed character with a flawed perspective, when he's telling Mia what jazz is, he's an idiot with the wrong perspective due to his character flaws.

Something else to think about with regards to the characters - Seb is an entitled asshole and one of Mia's flaws is she does't know jazz. She neither likes it nor knows it.

Again, there are a number of racially questionable elements of La La Land, but being outraged by the "white savior" angle is a disservice to the story being told - a story about the growth and maturation of two characters as they pursue their passions, combined with the benefit of how outside perspectives and encouragement can help us. It's almost a twisted advertisement for more platonic friendships.

Note: A quick review of the film, along with a few others, can be found here. The movie certainly has flaws - such as how I didn't enjoy any of the musical numbers and think the film would be better with those cut, along with some of the other nostalgia elements.

Movies on a plane review: May 2017

Quick reviews of movies marathoned on a plane...

Short list (in the order watched)

1. Split
2. Nocturnal Animals
3. La La Land
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Split - Entertaining movie that gets bonus points alone for being an M. Night Shyamalan that doesn't suck. Two of the biggest highlights are the powerhouse performances by James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy (who's on a fast track to being a kick-ass actress); Betty Buckley is also entertaining in a slightly campy way, whereas the two other girls are a bit too campy. Trying to avoid spoilers, but the best part of the movie is the ending. So great to hear that theme again (even if awkwardly edited), with the acting in the last several minutes being top-notch. I am loving the creative/story direction in this saga. While a bit lenient: Highly Recommended and can't wait for the sequel.

Nocturnal Animals - Solid acting by Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in an interesting movie. Great cinematography with interesting ideas in the script, but the story/editing/pacing (something) could be better. Amy Adams plays her character similar to Arrival, which... worked, but maybe a tad too dry. However, I loved her performance at the end, along with the ending itself. Based on the description, was hoping for a bit more of either a John Carpenter or Stanley Kubrick-like story, but still entertaining. Also, great music. Recommended.

La La Land - Within the first opening musical number I was already saying "F*** this movie," not long after thinking "this can be my shining example of what a polished turd looks like," but as it went on and I mentally tuned out all the saccharine, nostalgic musical numbers and elements, I grew to enjoy the character arcs of both Mia and Sebastian, particularly how they matured as humans. Seb explaining jazz to Mia was a little cringe-worthy, among a number of other little moments (Mia dancing), but the general anti-hype towards La La Land and the "white savior" argument is completely overblown. Seb doesn't even save jazz! John Legend's character Keith does, with Seb only being along for the ride. I did hate almost every musical number - I'm confident excising those from the film and focusing more on the characters would be a huge improvement. I would have LOVED to see an alternate version where the colors of the film are adjusted based on the story (starts saturated like old films, then becomes more real, then returns to saturated a bit at the end - or something else to denote their happiness and growth). Acting-wise, I enjoyed both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (as someone who typically thinks he's overhyped), particularly since he went from asshole to tolerable. The main jazz song, City of Stars, was kinda lame, though. Regardless of the above, it's masterfully directed by Damien Chazzelle. Hopefully he can apply his skills to something non-jazz next. Highly Recommended, if only for the controversy surrounding it and seeing the various lenses with which to watch the film.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Entertaining, but a bit of a mixed bag. I continue to believe David Yates is a bad choice for the Potter-verse - he's tonally inconsistent, among other issues. He might get some great character work, but his storytelling is flawed. I loved Colin Farrel's acting/character (play more villains, please!), and even Eddie Redmayne's take on "Matt Smith's Doctor on the spectrum" was interesting. Definitely nice to see a more pacifist lead, even if he could have been a more active/driving force in the story (seemed often too reluctant). Alison Sudol's Queenie was also nicely played, if not a bit dated/stereotypical. The climax was a bit underwhelming - it needed a smidge more buildup in the sequence for me to be more affected. MINOR SPOILER - but the reveal at the end was pretty cool, though the actual ramifications of the choice make me sad. Meh Recommendation due to the conflicting tones.

On a side note, it was fun to compare the choices for diversity casting between La La Land and Fantastic Beasts, with La La Land receiving (a bit too much) flack for it's choices whereas Beast received nothing for arguably being too diversely cast for its time-setting (though kudos to it for casting the way it did).

Movies on a plane reviews: April 2017

Quick thoughts on movies watched on a plane in April 2017...

Moana - Loved it. Very enjoyable. The humor was fun, even if a little too meta/self-referential. The songs were mostly good. Arguably directors Ron Clements and John Muskers' best Disney musical; easily my favorite and one I'd be happy to rewatch (though I haven't seen Aladdin in a long time). The visuals were amazing, seriously top-notch, particularly water, hair and general design aesthetic. Kudos to Auli'i Cravalho as the voice of Moana (and Rachel House as Grandma Tala). Possibly top 5 of 2016. Easily better than Zootopia, possibly better than Kubo, though Kubo still has a special place for me (better score, simply different production design). Highly recommended.

Moonlight - Was a good, very sad movie. The impact took a little time to fully kick in, but once it did I was more onboard with it than I was immediately after finishing. A little surprised Mahershala Ali won for his little screen time, particularly as I enjoyed him more in Luke Cage as Cottonmouth (similar characters/acting techniques) - but big kudos, he's a talented actor. Reminiscent of Boyhood. Naomi Harris as the mom was really enjoyable. Didn't really think it was cinematic in the sense it could have been a play; but still powerful. After initial viewing, Moana, Handmaiden and Kubo stood out more for 2016, but Moonlight's up there. Also, really enjoyed Chiron showing different sides of his personality depending on who he's around (e.g. shyness) - so few movies do that. Highly recommended.

Doctor Strange - It starts very cliched and by-the-numbers, but once it eventually gets going it's enjoyable. The forced humor mildly works, but is clearly forced. Benedict Cumberbatch was the wrong choice for Strange (his accent didn't work for me). Rachel McAdams was wasted. Colorful visuals and some inventive sequences. Tilda Swinton kicked butt, regardless of any whitewashing controversy; glad to have seen her do her stuff rather than another Asian male stereotype. Music was... OK - consistent with Michael Giacchino's Star Trek and Speed Racer scores, but not anything special; the end credits suites were good, but that's to be expected with Giacchino. Modestly Recommended.

La La Land - Wanted to watch, especially right after Moonlight, but decided to sleep instead.