Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.
Courtney Howard // Film Critic
BABYLON
Rated R, 3 hours and 8 minutes
Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Diego Calva, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, Jean Smart, Lukas Haas, Eric Roberts, Olivia Hamilton, P.J. Byrne, Max Minghella, Ethan Suplee, Tobey Maguire
Damien Chazelle’s BABYLON plays like the jaded, cynical flip side to LA LA LAND. At once a uniquely dazzling, dizzying cacophony of demented depravity and a rebellious, refabricated ode to films like SINGING IN THE RAIN, BOOGIE NIGHTS and THE ARTIST, this outrageous portrait of golden era Hollywood hedonism has an undeniable edge missing from the youthful auteur’s previous film. And yet the unrelenting, frenetic spectacle showcased through a Scorsese-inspired lens gives way to profundity, both sentimental and scorching.
We begin on a clear metaphor for filmmaking: hauling a giant elephant up a hill without the proper manpower or machinery, ending with said elephant evacuating its bowels in a fit of explosive diarrhea. The year is 1926. Manny Reyes (Diego Calva) is a harried assistant for a powerful Hollywood producer at Kinoscope Pictures, trying his best to maintain an air of dignity and calm during a raucous, drug-fueled orgy at his boss’s mansion. Also at the party are alcoholic superstar Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) rebounding from his latest divorce (a recurring bit involving a bevy of beauties), gossip columnist Elinor St. John (Jean Smart) scooping up dirt, up-and-coming trumpet player Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo) leading the house band, and singing temptress Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li) seducing guests.
Yet it’s ingénue Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) who instantly catches Manny’s eye and heart. She comes literally crashing into his life, all fire and fury (and with a filthy mouth to boot!) like any Manic Pixie Dream Girl worth her weight does, landing herself a part in a silent film shooting the following day. On the film shoot, various travails occur (all playfully captured with hilarious, knowing nods to common, frustrating production setbacks). Yet by the end of the day, each character triumphs over adversity – everything from getting the right camera to nailing the shot. But just as the various players all exhibit significant upticks in their personal and professional lives in the ensuing years, their livelihoods are placed on a precipice when talkies are introduced.
Though the runtime is excessive (perhaps a nod to the era), it never feels too long. All of the main characters experience demonstrable arcs and are given Movie Moments to shine, some of these loaded with heartening sentiments about legacy and artistic creativity. Conflicts ranging from comedic (like Manny’s trip to pay off Nellie’s eccentric loan shark played by Tobey Maguire, which lifts heavily from the Alfred Molina scene in BOOGIE NIGHTS) to dire (like the sharp pivot Jack and Lady Fay’s careers take) are capably crafted and given time to blossom. It’s also loaded with indelible sequences – the best being the button placed on Nellie’s first film shoot with sound, which involves a frustrated AD (P.J. Byrne, a true scene-stealer), a director at her wits’ end (Olivia Hamilton) and their exasperated crew members.
The debauchery is delightful, used deliberately to shock and entertain. The opening act alone – featuring a little person on a penis pogo stick, orgies on the dancefloor, and piles of drugs that would make Scarface blush – is enough to have puritans clutching their pearls. Later, Samara Weaving (who plays Nellie’s actress rival) waving a dildo at Robbie elicits many a giggle. Still, Chazelle strikes a good balance between the salacious and the serious. Nellie’s passionate, bordering on rude rant to her stuck-up party hosts has real truth to it, even if it’s punctuated by a fountain of projectile vomit.
Chazelle, production designer Florencia Martin and costume designer Mary Zophres show these characters inhabiting Los Angeles’ two disparate worlds, exploring both the lavish, wealthy upper crust and the lower class, fringe underworld. This not only reflects the characters’ nuanced dualities as they slip easily through different societies, but also speaks to their resourcefulness, vitality and willingness to play whatever part is necessary for survival. Cinematographer Linus Sandgren colors these worlds in complementary palettes, evoking a saturating sense of thematic and emotional resonance. Composer Justin Hurwitz’s score amps up the freneticism and romanticism with brassy trumpets blazing, pulsating beats hopping, or a parlor piano plinking away a more melancholic rehash of LA LA LAND’s instrumentals.
Calva is sensational as the picture’s anchor. His delicately faceted performance is filled with charisma, pathos and vulnerability. Margot Robbie is a live wire, injecting her vivacious, spirited character with a tangible sense of tenacity and vigor. She’s a sassy spitfire with a rich internal life. Li is a magnetic performer, who shows off dynamic, restrained range. Adepo is an equally deft actor gifting his scenes with weight and power. Eric Roberts, who plays Nellie’s fast-talking father Robert Roy, is excellent in a small supporting role.
BABYLON’s adaptation vs. extinction thematic through-line isn’t too dissimilar from other well-regarded films like SINGING IN THE RAIN and THE ARTIST. However, in between the cocaine-lined boarders lies astute, sly commentary on the pitfalls of the business unlike other films of its ilk. While it takes a mournful stance on the loss of the crazy chaos that birthed innovation, the picture ends on a hopeful note that ingenuity can still thrive in eras of change.
Grade: A
BABYLON opens in theaters on December 23.
