If La La Land was a love letter to Hollywood – then this would be hate mail!
Damien Chazelle is the writer and director of 2014’s Whiplash, which just so happens to be my favourite film of all-time.
He followed this up with another critically acclaimed feature – 2016’s La La Land. With such a short but hugely impressive resumé, it’s no wonder that the filmmaker managed to get so many A-list stars in his latest flick.
Babylon is set between the transition of Hollywood’s 1920’s silent film era to the 1930’s talkies. These were dark years for many stars at the time as this new way of acting didn’t come naturally to everybody. Audiences would often howl at the voices and terrible acting, which often led to depression and even suicide. This grim piece of information, albeit true, is mostly to give you an idea of the dark tone of this movie.
Right off the bat, the first act captures the chaos seen throughout the trailers. At a well-documented party that took place at the mansion of a top studio executive, all hell breaks loose. For example, an elephant is brought along – and did I mention that it just so happened to have diarrhoea? Alongside this, ‘coked-up’ guests bounce around on ‘penis-shaped’ pogo sticks, while others conduct sex acts. It’s The Wolf of Wall Street ‘dialled up to eleven’ – just more exhausting as it lacks the fun and excitement of that Scorsese modern classic.
It’s at this party that we’re introduced to the main characters, which include Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), an A-lister movie star; and Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), an aspiring actress. She becomes catapulted into superstardom after impressing everyone with her ability to ‘cry on cue’, but struggles with the expectations the industry puts on her. Jack also has his own battles to fight as he desperately tries to cling on to his celebrity status in this new era. Both are ultimately beaten and bruised by the seediness and brutality of the Hollywood film industry. Yes, this is the anti-La-La-Land.
Babylon is an extremely divisive movie – and I can see why. The set pieces are truly triumphant and the cinematography is fantastic, as expected from this filmmaker. The biggest problem is that despite its hefty running time – an epic three hours plus – there’s very little ‘meat on the bones’ surrounding the storytelling or its characters.
As a result, some key moments did not have the impact that was clearly intended. Chazelle seemed way too focused on the grand spectacles and shock-value. Had he put more time into the character depth we saw in the likes of Whiplash, this could have been the masterpiece that a few critics are calling it. On the other side of the spectrum, I’ve seen many one-star ratings doing the rounds too.
For me personally, I found it very hit-and-miss and therefore am sat firmly on the fence –
providing egotistical materialism over ingenuity. Though not without merit.
ESP Rating: 3/5
Mikey Clarke
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough, Out Now
Cast: Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, Olivia Wilde, Lukas Haas, Samara Weaving, Jeff Garlin, Katherine Waterston, Flea & Tobey Maguire
Running Time: 3 Hrs 9 Mins
Director: Damien Chazelle
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