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In Damien Chazelle’s fifth feature Babylon, he swings for the fences. This unwieldy, uncompromising three-hour film is perhaps the last of its kind, given the current trend in the movie industry. It represents a director who, given his recent success (Whiplash, La La Land – for which he won an Oscar), was given control of a project with unlimited resources and little oversight. The result is predictably mixed. I enjoyed the energy and production values of which Chazelle has always been fantastic. However, the story is predictable and tiresome, as is the running time (3 hours and 8 minutes).
We’ve seen other films tackle the transition from the silent era into talkies better. We’ve also seen these narrative arcs (the rise and fall) done better. Hell, we’ve witnessed craziness and excess on screen done better. The only thing this film has done I haven’t seen is within 3 minutes; a person gets defecated on by an elephant while another guy gets pissed on by a female. It all becomes very tiresome. However, Chazelle directs with such passion and energy that it’s hard not to appreciate someone throwing everything they got at the screen. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be an accurate depiction of Hollywood in the 20s and 30s, but there’s an epic sense of time and place.
The performances by the cast are all first-rate. Margot Robbie continues to prove how committed of an actress she is by choosing projects that aren’t the safest choices. She’s received flak in the press recently as being box office poison, but I’d argue it’s more an industry problem with the types of movies she’s in. Movie theaters, sadly, are becoming places strictly for built-in fan bases and big-budgeted special effects extravaganzas. Brad Pitt, as usual, is fantastic as an aging Erol Flynn type. There’s a sadness beneath the surface Pitt brings that is sneakily affecting. Newcomer Diego Calva also does a fine job in a tricky part.
While I can’t wholeheartedly recommend Babylon, I don’t think it’s a total disaster. Just like the film chronicles the transition from silent to sound, we’re currently living in a transitional time for the movie industry. Covid has ushered in an era where movies like Babylon and others aren’t demanded in the theater. So in that instance, it’s worth checking out. Just be prepared for a long, exhausting haul.
