When it was released at the Toronto Film Festival as well as many other early press-screenings, there was massive praise and hype for the musical masterpiece that is La La Land. It was heavily praised for its style, brilliant direction, terrific lead performances, and hypnotically memorable and beautiful musical numbers that would make even the biggest musical cynical tap their feet to the tune of the film’s heart. But somewhere along the way, fellow millenial bloggers and columnists decided to turn on the film. Was it only after the film swept the Golden Globes and grabbed 14 Oscar nominations that people decided to hate this movie and suddenly begin finding flaws with it? Does it have more to do with the film itself? Or is it just people trying to be politically correct by saying films like Hidden Figures or Moonlight should win just based on the races that are represented in their own respective films? Whatever it is, it’s sad to see that a film that has opened and began with so much praise begisn to become a victim of its own success, with people calling out Damien Chazelle and accusing him of white-washing jazz culture by creating a “white savior for jazz.” It’s articles like Kareem Abdul Jabaar’s and others that try to signify the film as a “white savior/privilage” type film that is sickening to read just because those very articles are contradictive to their own points.
Does a film like La La Land become more enjoyable and a better film to those who hate it if the main characters are simply changed through their ethinicity and race? It makes no sense, and it almost seems demeaning and blind to the fact that this film is not about race. It’s about ambition, dreams, heartbreak, and sacrifice. It’s about all those things taking place in an unforgiving Hollywood setting, a place where dreams and realities clash with one another every single day. It’s a story of how sometimes love and those very things that drive people to be the best leads to a life-changing decision that will haunt us. But it’s those sacrifices made for one another and the realization that as long as we recoginize that those people we’ve lost somehow to reach our success will always have special places in our hearts. It’s a feel-good yet heartbreaking lesson in the road to eventual success that has become overlooked by articles that race-shame this film based on merits that have not existed until the film actually started winning accolades for its success.
To all those who oppose this film not because of story or pacing, but because it’s due to the content of the character’s skin or the so called “misogyny and selfishness of the characters” (even though they both fully supported each other in their dreams and pushed one another the whole gawt-damn movie) need to realize that there is truly something wrong with you. When you bring in race and political correctness to bash a film in favor of another because of those things, you’re not watching a film to enjoy a film anymore. If the Oscars and any other race rewarded films based on how diverse a cast is, it defeats the purpose of what makes a great film a great film in the first place. So to those finding reasons to hate La La Land because it doesn’t have as important of a message to you because “America doesn’t need White Culture films like La La Land,” all I say to you is this. Stop being such a baby and trying to make yourself feel better by politically bashing films. It’s okay to love both Moonlight and La La Land. Don’t make it an oscar race or critical darling race based on race itself. Because then, you’ll look like a damn fool.