I spend a lot of January and February each year running
around to various cinemas, watching all of the films nominated for the best
picture award at the BAFTAs and Oscars – it’s a fun challenge which takes me to
locations all over London and to see films which I may not otherwise have
watched.
La La Land was arguably this year’s runaway success
even though it didn’t (or did briefly) win the Academy Award for Best
Picture. However, talking to lots of
people about it, I have noticed that it wasn’t the triumph with audiences that
the press would have us believe. Broadly
my friends fell into two camps: my actor
and big theatre going friends tended to love it. Everyone else was a bit more “meh”.
I think the reason for its success at the awards is twofold. Firstly, Hollywood loves a bit of navel
gazing. There were so many times during La La Land
that I was wryly laughing to myself but no one else around me was. I could really empathise with Emma Stone’s
character – I’ve been in those castings!
My friends in the “meh” camp didn’t dislike the film, they just didn’t
have the same gut reaction to it that I did or probably the people on the
voting panels who decide the shortlists.
Historically, Hollywood has favoured similar films – winners of Best
Picture include That Broadway Melody 1929, All About Eve 1950 and even Argo
2012 where Hollywood saves the day. Nominated films include Singin’ in the Rain
1952 and Sunset Boulevard 1950. Also,
let us not forget that the Academy loves a musical: previous Best Picture
winners include West Side Story, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Gigi, An
American in Paris, Oliver! Chicago and
The Artist - double whammy – it’s about Hollywood and kind of a musical!
The other big reason I think that La La Land did so
well is because it was a little light relief.
Let’s face it, 2016 was a bit of a fiasco. La La Land was a touching, beautifully made, brightly coloured,
all singing, all dancing film full of pretty people – a little bit of
escapism. And who doesn’t need that?
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