La La Land is one of Damien Chazelle’s most acclaimed works, and a wild theory connects it to another one of Chazelle’s best movies through one actor. Damien Chazelle made his directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic musical Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, and though it was a critical success, he got worldwide recognition in 2014 for Whiplash. This psychological drama was a critical and commercial success and gave Chazelle his first Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Chazelle’s next project was the musical rom-com La La Land, also written by him and starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. La La Land was also a critical and commercial success and gave Chazelle his first Oscar for Best Direction. Although he has made more movies since then, Whiplash and La La Land continue to be Chazelle’s best works, and despite their differences, some viewers have found some similarities between them – and through one actor they have in common, a theory has linked La La Land and Whiplash.
La La Land And Whiplash Take Place In The Same Universe – Theory Explained
Maybe Fletcher Found A New Lifestyle
A theory shared on Reddit suggests Whiplash and La La Land take place in the same universe thanks to J. K. Simmons’ characters in each movie. Simmons starred in Whiplash as Terence Fletcher, a jazz instructor and the conductor of the Shaffer Conservatory Studio Band. When jazz drummer and Shaffer student Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is recruited by Fletcher to play in the Studio ensemble, he quickly finds out that, although initially encouraging, Fletcher is aggressively strict, and goes as far as to be verbally and physically abusive to his students.
Despite this, Neiman becomes determined to impress Fletcher and pushes himself beyond his own limits to achieve it. Fletcher is eventually fired from Shaffer due to his abusive behavior and methods, and at the end of Whiplash, Neiman and Fletcher have one final confrontation on stage, though not a physical one this time. Chazelle and Simmons reunited in La La Land two years later, where Simmons played Bill.
La La Land follows jazz musician Sebastian (Gosling) and actress Mia (Stone), who fall in love while continuing to pursue their dreams in Los Angeles – Sebastian wants to have his own jazz club, while Mia wants to succeed as an actress. Bill is the manager of the restaurant Sebastian works at and who ends up firing him. The theory, then, says Fletcher and Bill are the same person, with La La Land taking place some time after the events of Whiplash. According to the author of the theory, following his firing, Fletcher moves to Los Angeles and becomes the manager of the restaurant.
Fletcher/Bill now also has a dislike toward jazz after Neiman almost ruined his career.
Fletcher continues his pᴀssion for music and jazz at the restaurant, but when Sebastian doesn’t follow his rules of playing a specific setlist, Fletcher remembers his days at Shaffer and, fitting with his undying perfectionism, decides to fire Sebastian. Fletcher/Bill now also has a dislike toward jazz after Neiman almost ruined his career, so it’s yet another reason for him to get rid of Sebastian.
The Problems With La La Land And Whiplash Taking Place In The Same Universe
It’s Not Fitting With Fletcher
While the theory is a fun way to connect Chazelle’s best movies, and there are some basic similarities between Fletcher and Bill, it doesn’t make sense thanks to Whiplash. Fletcher is abusive, that’s undeniable, but he’s also very pᴀssionate about music and jazz. Bill doesn’t have that same pᴀssion, and saying that Fletcher stopped liking jazz after what happened with Neiman doesn’t fit the character.
At the end of Whiplash, after getting his revenge on Neiman on stage, Neiman returns to the stage, cuts Fletcher’s introduction to the next song and leads the band into playing something else. Neiman then goes into an improvised solo, and Fletcher, impressed with what he just did, nods in approval. Neiman proves himself to Fletcher and the latter brings the best out of Neiman, so he really can’t have reasons to hate jazz, and especially not because of Neiman.
La La Land Is A Great Companion To Whiplash (Despite How Different They Are)
Two Very Different Musical Experiences
J. K. Simmons’ characters in Whiplash and La La Land aren’t connected and there’s nothing that can suggest these movies are part of the same universe, but they are still a great double feature. While Whiplash is a psychological drama (with Fletcher being one of the most terrifying villains of the decade) and La La Land is a more lighthearted but still dramatic musical, they are connected by their characters’ love for music. Whiplash and La La Land offer two very different musical experiences, with Whiplash being one rooted in trauma and obsession, and La La Land being rooted in romantic love.
In just two movies, Damien Chazelle showed two very different sides to music and where love for it can lead – one is a destructive path, while the other is a more optimistic but still potentially heartbreaking path. Whiplash and La La Land are great companions to each other, but they don’t belong to the same universe.
Source: Reddit.
