Two weekends ago I woke up early to go see a movie with a new lady friend (who I hope, if she's reading this, I'd love to hang out with her again!) and after missing a movie we both really wanted to see, we ended up seeing La La Land.
Nearly three hours later, my head was spinning. While the movie was quite good (and my date happened to agree), I had mixed feelings. For starters, I've never been the biggest fan of musical theater, whether's it's live theater or on the big screen with a digital projector. While the concept for the film was quite unique (there's been plenty of stories about Hollywood but none that blends the modern age of film with the golden age), what ruined it was the bizarre plot. Chemistry is one thing, but good chemistry can sometimes be a recipe for disaster. It's a movie with plenty of controversy.
SPOILER ALERT: I'll keep it brief, but I might give some things away:
After a sort of break up, Mia (who is played by Emma Stone, who I should add should stick to comedies) reunites awkwardly with Sebastian (who is played by Ryan Gosling). It's brief, as the audience is given the impression that the two realize for both of them to make their dreams come true, their relationship will have to suffer. Several years later, it's shown that Mia has married and has a family of her own (with a significant other who seems way too middle-aged for my liking, something that's been confirmed as Tom Everett Scott is a whopping about EIGHTEEN years Emma Stone's senior!). If they had brought in someone younger, I wouldn't have been as bothered.
The two stop by a jazz club and it happens to be Sebastian's, complete with a Mia-designed logo. Upon laying eyes on a five-year older Mia, Sebastian starts playing a piano piece, and a sort of alternate ending begins. Immediately, something ran through my head: my ex-girlfriend. I don't know why, but I felt like I was holding her back from success and she was likewise, but at the time we both needed each other. Just like mine and my ex's relationship, Mia and Sebastian's was not meant to work out. In a way, it's a sigh of relief. I've lived the movie, except through policy and advocacy work, not through art.
The ending to La La Land is something trivial that is definitely worth arguing over. Happy endings in life happen from time to time, but not dreamy. It does put life in good perspective though: we all make sacrifices and compromises through our life and that a perfect ending doesn't always happen.
To their credit, Damien Chazelle and his crew did a wonderful job and the movie is definitely deserving of its fourteen Academy Award nominations (even if they did give John Legend an acting vehicle, which he does well, surprisingly). Does it deserve to win all ten? I'm not sure. And Morgan Leigh Davis argues that there's sexism in the movie (which I sort of could see looking back).
The December release is also suspicious. It's been shown that movies released closer to the end of the year are more likely to be nominated to be an Oscar. And it looks as if it has all the chances in the world to win.
Long story short: La La Land brought back some painful memories. It's definitely worth watching, even for the cultural impact.
This is all I can say: I'll take my Superbad any day! And on another note, does La La Land get an East Coast counterpart? Anything to get "City of Stars" out of my head!
