‘La La Land’: The curiously divisive Oscar front-runner
The backlash was inevitable for “La La Land.” It’s just a matter now of whether — as most expect — the tide will turn back in time for the February 26 Oscars. So to help you decide what side you’re on in this most crucial of battles, here’s a rundown of the case against “La La Land.”
Some critics have said that “La La Land,” for all its charms, is a pale impression of the earlier musicals it was inspired by. There are the classic Hollywood backlot musicals like Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in Vincente Minnelli’s “The Band Wagon” ( 1953) and, of course, “Singin’ in the Rain” with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. Or there’s the on-the-street French musicals of Jacques Demy, like “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “The Young Girls of Rochefort,” which inspired the opening freeway scene of “La La Land.” These were the real-deal originals, they say.
Counter: This is one that probably even Chazelle wouldn’t much quibble with. He’s spoken often and with reverence for these and other musicals. “La La Land” is undoubtedly deeply animated by nostalgia, but its characters — and the movie, itself — hinges on finding a contemporary experience with some connection to the classical.
For others, the song-and-dance skills of Gosling and, to a lesser extent, Stone, aren’t up to the standards of Kelly, Reynolds or Astaire. The pair trained with chore- ographer Mandy Moore and Gosling learned to play his piano parts without any previous experience on the keys. They may be quick studies, but they aren’t the equals of the musical greats.
Counter: Well, who is? That’s a high bar to meet. And part of the appeal of “La La Land” is that its characters, even as they soar, are more down to earth. Besides, the considerable gifts of Stone and Gosling are more than just footwork. They’re a heck of a lot funnier than Astaire, for starters. But it’s probably a good thing that the movie’s two nominated songs will be performed by co-star John Legend, not Gosling or Stone, at the Oscars.
In the “SNL” sketch, Aziz Ansari is grilled by police detectives for his crime of not being headover-heels about “La La Land.” ‘’I liked the movie. I just didn’t love it,” he protests. “It’s a whole movie about jazz and there’s no black people in it.” Others have gone further in analyzing the film’s racial undercurrents. MTV’s Ira Madison called the movie “a white-savior film in tap shoes,” criticizing it for making Gosling’s character, Seb, the defender of true jazz, and Legend’s bandleader character the sell-out. For an African American-created art form, this is backward.
Counter: This one is hard to shake. It could be argued that “La La Land” is almost totally focused on its two leads. (This is why many believe it was passed over for the Screen Actors Guild top honor, best ensemble.)