MovieChat Forums > La La Land (2016) Discussion > Mia's Dialogue created a Plot Hole

Mia's Dialogue created a Plot Hole

posted 7 years ago by IndustrialGas
10 replies | jump to latest

I enjoyed La La Land to the point of constantly keeping it on mind for days after. However, it caused me to find a plot hole through a piece of dialogue said by Mia.

The dialogue piece is meant to forward into a scene that introduces the audience to Sebastian's knowledge of Jazz music but unintentionally conflicts with Mia's character motivation previously seen.

Mia's line is, "I hate Jazz music."
If she hated Jazz music, it raises question as to why did the Jazz music grabs her attention when she could hear it outside the club where Sebastian was playing Christmas music. The scene suggests she heard some wonderful-sounding, improv Jazz music and she curiously enters the club to get a better listen.

I could me overlooking something. Perhaps someone could include a thought or insight on the scene.

[–] Whatlarks 7 years ago

That's a good question, IndustrialGas. For me, the answer is that she's viscerally attracted, her intellect ambushed before it has a chance to re-route her into the habit of thought that she doesn't like the form.

Because quite evidently that's all it is: a habit of thought. She has no trouble appreciating jazz the next time she hears it, when Seb takes her to see a live band. Mia has taken the thought for granted that she doesn't like it, but what she actually experiences in the moment, when her intellect's guard isn't up, is attraction.

More specifically, I think above all she's inspired by the personal expression of the (jazz) artist, the evident passion in the playing. Recall the top value she celebrates in "Audition":

She lived in her liquor
And died with a flicker
I’ll always remember the flame.

...She told me
A bit of madness is key
To give us new colours to see.
Who knows where it will lead us
And that’s why they need us.

"Who knows where it will lead us" -- it, the flame, the madness, the childlike quality that leads her unknowingly to being captivated by the immediate sensation of things without the intellect undercutting experience by locking it into categories and judgments. Her aunt's spontenaity, her flame, would have been doused from the start if thought had had its way.

This approach to life comes with risks, however, as the lyrics remind us: "Here’s to the hearts that ache / Here’s to the mess we make."

"You must not judge what I know by what I find words for." - Marilynne Robinson

[–] HelterSkelter999 7 years ago

That is an unbelievable response! Bravo

[–] Whatlarks 7 years ago

Cheers, HelterSkelter999.

"You must not judge what I know by what I find words for." - Marilynne Robinson

[–] wooody 7 years ago

The simple answer is that there are different types of jazz. The song played by Seb at the club was a fairly straightforward melodic piece as opposed to the abstract variation. As a result, it appeals to folk who normally don't appreciate "jazz". I'm not a fan of country music however on occasion I have liked the melody, albeit rare occasion.

[–] Whatlarks 7 years ago

What specifically attracted Mia was Seb's fairly abstract version of the straightforward melodic piece.

"You must not judge what I know by what I find words for." - Marilynne Robinson

[–] wooody 7 years ago

What initially grabbed Mia's attention as she walked by the restaurant was the initial lines from Seb's original song. If you recall, these first melodic bars as she walked by and stopped. As I said in my original post, this song would be characterized as a melodic rather than abstract piece of jazz. As she walked by she was caught by the song's melodic "hook". That is why a person who normally is not partial to jazz might be moved by this piece.

[–] Whatlarks 7 years ago

Good observation. There's a progression to the scene that proves the point. Mia's initially drawn by smooth melodic playing - what she knows she likes - but once inside her enthusiasm is sparked by Seb's departure into jazz improvisation. It's not just attraction, she's clearly wowed by it.

"You must not judge what I know by what I find words for." - Marilynne Robinson

[–] Bolchevik (369) 5 years ago

Good post

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

But she didn't really hate jazz. She only thought she hated jazz because she probably associated it with pretentious hipster men in their sixties.

[–] KBiker (766) 3 years ago

Simple. He wasn't playing a jazz piece at that point. It was romantic and melancholy. You could say it was semi-classical. But it wasn't jazz.

And why is the concept of a plot hole so hard for so many to misunderstand? The term is often over-used, on this forum at least, to mean anything the OP doesn't understand or agree with.