Life is seen through the dreaming and wonderstruck CinemaScope eyes of director Damien Chazelle in “La La Land.” The title is synonymous with Los Angeles, Mia and Sebastian’s (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling) city of stars, where they try to make their dreams come true. Chazelle’s film is, by some miracle, a modern fairy tale for the unsung artists of our time, and a grounded look at how reality stifles and tests our plans. Exhilarating, heartbreaking, and altogether alive, “La La Land” is exquisite, and one of the year’s best. Show
What makes “La La Land” such an enriching experience is how Chazelle structures the film to transition from dream to reality. Mia is an actress, Sebastian a jazz pianist, both artists down on their luck. It is when they find each other that their dreams may come to life. But it is not so simple. Chazelle recognizes that great art can come at a price and a good deal of sacrifice. The film sobers into a sort of pragmatism, where music and dance numbers are less frequent, and Mia and Sebastian realize the gravity of being artists and lovers at the same time. The performances are excellent, particularly because Chazelle knows better that Stone and Gosling are our modern day Rogers and Astaire. The music, the incredible cinematography, the costumes and sets all breathe as one, both as a great film and a great musical. Chazelle writes such a loving letter to the masters before him, from “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” to Scorsese’s little-known “New York, New York.” Chazelle plays to the audience’s notion of familiarity with film, how images and color tingle our senses and feelings. Chazelle’s complete dedication to the film is why we align with it and even relate to it. Yet there is almost a redundancy to writing all of this. Mia and Sebastian didn’t care about the critics, and neither should you. See “La La Land” for yourself, and you may just rediscover an old dream of your own. While this film is rated PG-13, Dove, unfortunately, cannot award this wonderful film our Seal of Approval due to brief strong language and moderate use of alcohol, mostly from secondary characters. With every new chick flick that is advertised, untold numbers run to the nearest movie theater with their significant other in hopes that this will be the next cult classic. “This will be the movie that makes my boyfriend realize how lucky he is to be going out with me!” “This will be the movie that makes me cry and causes me to shamelessly fantasize myself as the lead actress.” La La Land was supposed to be this movie. Critics built this movie up to be the biggest blockbuster of the year. Awards so far include Golden Globe Award Winner for Best Motion Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Score, and the film is tied for the most Academy Award nominations in history…so it’s universally considered the best. But I have a question to ask: Why doesn’t the couple in our new “best” movie end up spending the rest of their lives together? Where is the “happily ever after?” Where is the wedding? Where is the long term commitment? While critics rave, audiences have mixed feelings and opinions about the ending of the movie.La La Land was created to captivate your emotions with a whirlwind of catchy songs, romantic scenes, and quote-worthy lines. However, unlike traditional love stories, the last fifteen minutes of this movie deviate far from the “happily ever after path.” [Spoiler Alert] The leading couple, Mia and Sebastian, share many romantic moments, lip-locking scenes, and even decide to move-in together. However, the last few scenes fast-forward five years to show Mia marrying another man. You read correctly. Mia does not choose to marry Sebastian, but smiles fondly on the time she and Sebastian spent together. The conclusion left for viewers is that while their relationship was important, it was not forever. Mia now has a new life with her new husband and a new baby, and she is able to smile when she thinks about her former live-in boyfriend.“Why does the ending of this movie matter?” you may be asking. This movie ending matters because it has profound implications for the Millennial Generation and it is a defining representation of our culture. As I contrasted the ending of La La Land with the ending of the notorious chick flick, The Notebook [not recommended or endorsed by Girl Defined Ministries] I noticed something very telling. Just twelve years earlier, that movie ended with the aged married couple holding each other as they died together in the same bed. The idea was that the husband and wife could not live without one another; therefore, each would literally die without the other. While in many movies the lead couple does not end up together, La La Land has a startling and inaccurate account of sexual immorality.Only in la-la land (i.e. a fantasy world or dream world) does a girl smile as she sees her ex-boyfriend who lost interest in her after having sex. Only in la-la land can a girl feel unashamed as she runs into her former live-in boyfriend while on a date with her new husband. Only in la-la land can a girl emerge unscathed after neglecting God’s guidelines for relationships and sex. Only in la-la land is this sort of short-lived not committal type of relationship considered romantic. Despite how this movie makes modern girls feel, it is false advertising. Disregarding God’s design for love, sex and marriage does not lead to a “dream world.” There is only pain when we ignore God’s command to “keep the marriage bed pure” (Hebrews 13:4). The majority of our culture is neglecting this truth and wondering why many of them end up with broken hearts and relationships.Statistics tell us that the majority of people are far from following God’s guidelines for sex. This is one reason our culture is so accepting of and so excited about La La Land. This movie represents the life so many individuals are living. As Christian girls, we can’t get sucked into this counterfeit version of love. We can’t get fooled! There is only heartache when we ignore God’s guidelines for sex and marriage. We have to remember that God created sex, which means He knows how it works best. The notions that cohabitation produces stable relationships, that unmarried guys will stay interested in girls after sex, and that a girl will experience no shame when she sees her ex-boyfriend (and former sex partner) while standing next to her new husband are all ideas that only truly exist . . . well . . . in a La La Land. For a more detailed review of this movie, check out the helpful Christian review over at Plugged In. To learn more about God’s amazing design for true love and sex, check out the following posts.God’s Design for Sex is Way Better than Hollywood’s Cheap Imitation 7 Major Benefits of Saving Sex for Marriage – Part 1 7 Major Benefits of Saving Sex for Marriage – Part 2 This guest post was written by Julia Jeffress Sadler who serves as the Girl’s Ministry Director at First Baptist Dallas. If you would like to submit a guest post, please see our Does La La Land have anything inappropriate?La La Land has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, Mia and Sebastian kiss and end up in bed together, but nothing is shown. What is the moral of the movie La La Land?This movie demonstrates the dilemma people face in pursuing their dreams while giving up what they love and making sacrifices. Achieving your dreams sometimes comes at a price. It hurts to see the characters fall in love, then split off into the world to perhaps never see each other again. What is the meaning of La La Land movie?The idea the movie is communicating is you can't make ALL of your dreams come true, like in the movies (hence “La la Land” and the movie is set in Los Angeles). There are lots of other clues to this throughout. So the end scene is what would have happened if they could've made all those dreams come true. Can a twelve year old watch La La Land?La La Land (2016) 91% Rating: PG-13, for some language. Writer-director Damien Chazelle's singing and dancing extravaganza is a joyous and meticulously crafted homage to the classic, Technicolor musicals of the past. |
