La La Land Review

WARNING! Major Spoilers!

After earning 11 Golden Globes, La La Land has truly taking musicals to another land. Most musicals like "Sing'in the Rain," and the "Sound of Music" are classics and have tendency to be somewhat corny, a nun falls for soldier? La La Land is no such film, in fact it has the melancholy, broken 'dreams' and deep heart of a musical like 1967's Camelot starring Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave. La La Land is not about flash mobs breaking into song with the background of sun'sets' and other extravaganza, but rather it is about a relationship between an actress (Emma Stone) and Jazz piano player (Ryan Grosling). This relationship plays out in La La Land, LA California as the two cross paths and find themselves as catalysts for one another, as well as lovers. The film is about dreams, Mia's (Emma Stone) being to become an actress, and Sabastian (Ryan Grosling)'s to start a Jazz club and lead a resurgence of Jazz.

La La Land sweeps you away from scene to scene, the upbeat music taking hold as Jazz so often does and leading you on a journey of joy and tragedy. Ultimately, there is a point reached in the relationship between Mia and Sabastian where they must decide to choose their dreams or to settle down to the reality of a steady wage and some semblance of their dream in broken form. Sabastian settles, Mia soars on the stars to become a Star as she dreamed, but without Sabastian who in her absence creates a club, Sep, and ironically the name of club and its climax scene shows how the two lovers are separated by their dreams. We see the reality, Mia and Sabastian are separated, and though they love each other forever, they end up not together, with Mia married and having a daughter. We then see montage and fantastical scene of what could have been, with Mia and Sebastian together, Sebastian following Mia to Paris for her breakout role and they end up together in a Jazz club at end of montage, but Sebastian (Grosling) doesn't own the Jazz joint. So we see, that together, one of them must sacrifice their dreams. Thus the film poses the most poignant question of all, are you willing to pursue your dreams to the point that it can separate you from one you love or do you choose love and risk losing your dream? Oh what a real life question, surrounded in explosively great cinematography and music that will transport you. It is this crucial element of the story that keeps La La Land grounded from going too far into stars and leaving audiences in disbelief.

Does La La Land have anything to share about the LORD? Is there any Biblical allusions to be made? I could certainly infer the passage, "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39). But honestly, from opening scene, to the musical numbers, and the finale, I felt instead the message is, "Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth," (Pslam 96:1) and "And David danced with all his might before the Lord: and David was girded with a linen ephod. And David returned to bless his own house: and Michol the daughter of Saul coming out to meet David, said: How glorious was the king of Israel to day, uncovering himself before the handmaids of his servants, and was naked, as if one of the buffoons should be naked." (2 Samuel 6:14, 20). Now the idea of us dancing naked sounds lude, but perhaps we should interpret naked as raw, unhinged, letting ourselves go in the joy as the opening act does in their dresses, suites, and drums; music and dancing pleases the Lord Jesus, and La La Land reminds us that God wants us to Get into the Jazz for Jesus, to create melody, worship, or even love song, or something real that tells a truth, for Christ is Truth (John 14:6) and this movie is full of truth. So then Jesus is part of movie, even if the director and producer had not planned it. I felt a sense of optimism that pervades the film, you could almost say Sebastian acts like our Savior to Mia, telling her she is good enough, she can do this, and actually his support kick starts her to do what leads to her stardom. The film also addresses the need to do what you love, your passion, and to follow it even if it means taking major risks like rejection and being made fun off, don't stop dancing on the account of the denouncers, but rather sing the song God has put in your heart. La La Land leaves you with the Lord's words, "I have come to give you life abundantly," (John 10:10) for indeed we see abundance in Sebastian and Mia's lives, but we are reminded, it comes with a cost even having to give up the one you love for a greater calling, "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?, For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you," (Luke 14:27-29) and "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14, that upward call can be to sing, dance, be an apostle, writer, construction worker and more, Jesus will show you if you seek Him). Granted Christ was talking about counting the cost of picking up your cross and following Him, but I believe the same can be applied to a dream, are you willing to do what it takes and build it? Or will you leave only its foundation and be left ridiculed by others and yourself.

La La Land is a movie for our times, a reminder to sing a new song, to dance, and to get lost in romance of God's great love story and our love story with others. Let the Jesus Jazz and piano you possess whatever it be, sing forth and may you lose yourself in the sheer joy and passion of what you were made to do. Amen.