This over-the-top movie is about over-the-top behavior during the 1920’s in Hollywood. And Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Diego Clava made Writer/Director Damien Chazelle happy taking it beyond crazy in this wild boozy, drug-fueled, debauched film.
Cinematically extraordinary, the opening long follow-shot takes you into the most decadent Jazz Age Hollywood party. For the first 35 minutes of the film, you’re In a room packed with naked men and women, featuring an elephant, all while watching a movie star wannabe, Nellie LaRoy (Robbie), get tossed around with abandon in her flimsy red dress before the Babylon title even comes up.Once again, Chazelle works with Justin Hurwitz for the music score helping set the pace for the film.
Years ago, Chazelle started collecting stories of risqué behavior regarding the drug infused, unhinged times in Hollywood during the Silent Era just before the “Talkies.” After more than a decade, he decided it was time to put them into a movie. Chazelle throws references to real stars of the time and their weird tastes and desires. One is a disturbing scene of a scandalous, overweight silent screen comic actor. Film history buffs will immediately get the reference.
Brad Pitt was the first to agree to be cast. He was definitely made for the role of Jack Conrad, the glorified Douglas Fairbanks or Errol Flynn heart throb matinée idols of that time. Pitt is relaxed, drôle, frequently looking like he’s in a drunken stupor, or hungover, but still very debonair even when being funny or silly.
Robbie gets to be outrageous as Nellie, the actress who will do anything to be a movie star. Robbie is totally uninhibited, outrageous and fearless in this role as a self-important actress who brags that she doesn’t need to become a star, because she already is one!
As Nellie, she dances, prances, lies, entices, screams, and basically pushes her way to get attention. She proves it in the scene where she walks into a Western saloon set and gets up on the bar to do a suggestive dance in front of the ogling men. She’s directed by a woman, but FYI, there were no women directors in Hollywood then, not for decades.
While Chazelle has all of these antics of early movie making going on, Elinor St. John (Jean Smart) is digging up all the dirt she can on Jack, Nellie and everybody. She is the feared Hollywood gossip columnist, à la Hedda Hopper, who could make or break a film or a career with one stroke of her typewriter. Smart tough portrayal is perfect and she’s perfectly made-up for the role in her chalky stark makeup, chapeaus and wardrobe. They’re all right in line with her snide characterization. Another mysterious and curious denizen, is Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li) is ever present at these big parties. She’s some kind of fortune teller who tips people off to what they’re in for next.
The biggest arc is that of Manny, (Diego Calva), the lucky young man from Mexico who has the same goal as Nellie, but he wants to be a producer. He goes from the guy trying to deliver an elephant up a hill to the party, to a “player” in the movie business. He befriends Nellie and Jack who take him along for the ride. Chazelle always wanted that role to go to an unknown about an unknown who had big dreams and his attempts to climb the ladder to power and wealth. Calva is just that guy.
This is another directorial love letter to the movies among several this year.There are several scenes that are absolutely mesmerizing. Chazelle does another follow shot from set to set on the huge movie lot in the desert. Cinematographer Linus Sandgren (Don’t Look Up, No Time to Die, La La Land) bounces from one setup and scene to another to show how they made multiple movies simultaneously. There’s even huge battle sequences with a cast of thousands! More power to Mary Zophres who oversaw the reported 7,000 costumes you’ll see in this film.
It takes weird, even more unexpected turns when disturbing and uncomfortable Tobey Maguire pops up with his rotted teeth and corpse-like skin in the private underground house of horrors at a Hollywood party. And Rory Scovel as Manny’s clueless sidekick,The Count, puts them both in mortal danger.
The pace of the film really gets bogged down when the silent era is on its way out and everyone’s worried about “The Talkies.” Before this, the film was fast and loose with “lights, camera, action.” Now that it’s gone from fun making movies, to a serious business, the pace slows to a dull crawl.
Sidney Palmer, (English actor, Jovan Adepo) who periodically shows up as a trumpet playing leading his band, highlights the racism of the 1920’s. When his skin looks too light next to his darker band members, he’s told to make it darker. It’s another scene of heartbreak and seething anger.
You’ll certainly get the message near the movie’s end how much Chazelle loves his craft when he offers up the collage of quick flashes from his favorite films in a weird, unexpected, psychedelic tribute. This is one wild. brazen, messy, deranged, uninhibited, unrestrained, out of control, frenzied, raging, reckless film. Despite its long run-time, and corny finish, Babylon is a complicated musical and visual spectacle with great performances by Robbie, Pitt, Smart and Clava in a frenetic film that left us more exhausted than exhilarated.
Paramount Pictures 3 hours 8 minutes. R
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