Kareem Abdul-Jabaar Takes Aim At La La Land In New Column

Style Magazine Newswire | 2/15/2017, noon
In his latest column for The Hollywood Reporter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pumps the breaks on “La La Land,” a film that …
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

In his latest column for The Hollywood Reporter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pumps the breaks on “La La Land,” a film that has managed to dominate awards season, while simultaneously causing confusion as to what the fuss is all about.

“There are a few elements that warrant closer examination, particularly regarding its portrayal of jazz, romance and people of color,” writes the NBA legend, who also questions the film’s “bigoted message” of a black man selling out.

Read an excerpt of Jabbar’s Hollywood Reporter column below:

A recent Saturday Night Live skit depicts two street-tough cops yelling at a handcuffed man they just arrested because he didn’t think La La Land was great. “It dragged in the middle,” he complains. “You sick son of a bitch!” one cop barks. “You disgust me!” This pretty much distills the rift in American pop culture that is nearly as contentious as the rift in American politics. As someone who finds La La Land bold, daring and deserving of all its critical and financial success, I can also admit that there are a few elements that warrant closer examination, particularly regarding its portrayal of jazz, romance and people of color. In fact, the better a work of art is, the more we must dissect it, because now we’re not just measuring Rotten Tomatoes popularity or boffo box office, we’re assessing its proper place in our cultural canon.

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