Jay-Z: Moonlight (2017 Music Video) User Reviews

Interesting on several levels

[bob the moo · 13 August 2017]

There are a lot of levels to enjoy the extended video for Jay-Z's moonlight, although ironically the track itself isn't really one of them since it seems to be the least part of the running time. I'm not aware enough of American culture to appreciate the references to Friends' concept allegedly being taken directly from a less successful African-American television show, although that is one level; also I'm not really a fan of Friends or know the episodes enough to appreciate the precision of which this recreation is accurate. What does strike though is the sense of working harder to get less, of losing a little even in victory.

This is most evident in the lyrics and title of the track, which reference of course Moonlight (which won best picture), and La La Land (which took a lot of the shine off the victory in the moment). This is directly referenced at the end of the film in case you didn't pick up on it, but I prefer the content of the short where Jerrod Carmichael (playing Ross) is confronted by Hannibal Buress about his work in Friends. Well, not so much that moment, but the detachment that Carmichael suddenly feels while the comedy carries on in the background. I wish this moment was longer and offered more, because Carmichael does deliver with the look on his face.

The recreation itself is still worth a look, and it is entertaining to see such a famous cast replaced – albeit replaced by a very well- known African-American cast; however to focus on this is to miss the sharper content – although to be fair, the film could have spent longer on that aspect of it and done more with it too.

Uninspired attempt to cash in on (alleged) racism

[Horst_In_Translation · 2/10 · 1 September 2018]

Here we got Moonlight by Jay-Z and yes it is not a coincidence that this has several actors from "Get Out" in it and also the title of a recent Best Picture winner. Somehow Jay-Z and his gang (including director Emmy winner Alan Yang) seem to attempt to construct a story line about how it was racist that La La Land got called first despite not winning, but all it was was human failure really. Not an excuse and these people who messed up the envelopes should be fired and I think they were, but still, it's not racism. As for the first 5 minutes of these 7.5, basically a sitcom starring black actors that copies a successful long-running white-actor sitcom, it also feels really fictitious. There is no such sitcom, at least none that has great success while being trash. Or is it an indirect connection to Tyler Perry movies? I doubt that, Sean Carter would not mess with him I assume. Oh well, you can split this one in two segments basically. I think the music was not particularly good in the last third. The comedy was tolerable early on, but also only in its best moments. But the intended message here is one that goes very wrong as there are in fact several Black-centered comedies out there who are not criticized as harshly as they should because of the characters' origins. So yeah, already the intention for this "music video" is very bizarre and the background behind it, the general motivation. Besides, it's far from Jay-Z's best and most creative in terms of music and he does have indeed some stuff I like. This one's here is the exact opposite. Pseudo-important and a failure for the most part. Stay away.