There’s a new movie out either now or this week, not sure, been away, lost track. Its called La La Land and its a musical rom-com. Which is a brave movie to make, at massive cost, as the musical genre is kind’a done and over for decades. And most attempts to try and revive it have failed. With a few notable exceptions. In fact I can think of one. Cabaret. Brilliant, brilliant movie. Spectacular even. But not a rom-com. Too many nazis and jack-boots for that. And the lead man turns out to be gay, which didn’t do much for Liza Minelli’s romantic aspirations. Phah! Don’t’cha hate it when that happens?

There was Mama Mia, the film of the play of the song of the… and that was pure shite. Though, apparently, women loved it. Go figure. Does a surplus of emotional potential eliminate good taste? Not prepared to say. And even Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge was shite. Awful. And Les Mis was ok, but only because its such a fuck-off brilliant stage show and even when you cast Wolverine in it, its still pretty damned good.

So the question is: is La La Land a ‘film for women’ or are boys allowed to go too, without sneaking in the side door under cover of darkness to hide their shame?

I like rom-coms. I watch ’em, I read ’em. Unashamedly. Ok, a little shame if they’re really crappy and I’m sitting on the tube (when they fucking run!!!!) sobbing all over my kindle because the heroine who we met on page 1 (slim, athletic, fiesty, just broke-up from love of her life…) when she crashes her car into the hero (ex-military, tousled, biceps like thighs, GSOH…) and they have a big row, finally, 763 pages later, gets to shag him and love is declared.

When Harry met Sally. Sleepless in Seattle. Even Four Weddings. Great rom-com movies. Haven’t seen many in a while because they’ve all starred Jennifer Aniston. Though I’ve seen a few with J-Lo. But only because I’m madly in love with J-Lo.

So La La Land? Will I go with Mel and 250 women strangers armed with their boxes of Kleenex to watch it? Or pretend I’m going to see Death Battle of the Samurai Car Jackers with all the boys in screen 5, then sneak in when the first gunshot scares me?

For Emma Stone, I can handle the shame.

Happy tubeless Monday

A xxxx