The Oscar-winning movie Samuel L Jackson couldn’t watch: “I only made it through 20 minutes”
Samuel L Jackson is one of the most prolific actors of his generation, with a career that spans from work with Quentin Tarantino, the Marvel Universe, Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee. Through his time on screen, Jackson has become one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, whose bold and dynamic work has reverberated throughout cinematic history. As an avid film lover himself, he has always advocated for fellow creatives and projects that he is most passionate about. However, after the Academy Awards in 2017, the actor expressed his controversial dislike for one film in particular.
After his Academy Award-nominated performance in Pulp Fiction, Jackson has served as a member of the academy, which means he watched all the nominated films each year and voted for his personal favourite. There were many great projects being showcased that year, such as Moonlight, Fences, Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge and Manchester by the Sea. As well as this, Jackson had a voiceover role in Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro, which was nominated for Best Documentary, bringing to life the words of James Baldwin.
When speaking of the nominations, Jackson expressed his love for Moonlight and Fences in particular, describing the powerful performance of Denzel Washington in particular, saying, “I don’t think anyone did a better job than Denzel. That’s a difficult role to play. I’ve seen him do it onstage — and he’s great.”
However, there was one film that he struggled with, not explicitly mentioning its name but giving a hint about which one it was. Jackson cryptically said, “The movie everybody’s so hyped on, I only made it through 20 minutes. I mean, I like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers”.
La La Land was one of the many great films nominated for an award that year. It was directed by Damien Chazelle, who became the youngest person to win an Oscar for ‘Best Director’. The film follows an aspiring actor called Mia and a struggling jazz musician called Sebastien, who both meet and follow in love in Los Angeles as they try to make their dreams come true. The film was praised for its ode to the films of old Hollywood, with clear references to films such as Umbrellas of Cherbourg and American in Paris.
However, some critics accused the film of being a rip-off rather than an homage, failing to view it as a tribute and instead dismissing it as a copy. Evidently, Peter Jackson seems to fall into this camp, referencing the work of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as clear influences on the characters as they sing and dance their way around the city.
La La Land famously did not win ‘Best Picture’, though, and the award rightfully went to Moonlight, despite the initial confusion at the ceremony as the wrong card was read. Jackson preferred Barry Jenkins’ ground-breaking feature to the modern musical, saying, “Mahershala is great, but I like everybody who played that kid” – high praise from a tough critic.
