Babylon
2022
***½
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, P. J. Byrne, Lukas Haas, Olivia Hamilton, Max Minghella, Rory Scovel, Katherine Waterston, Tobey Maguire
Just as the movie industry is transitioning from silent to sound, a number of people attempt to make a life in Hollywood. These include a hard-working jack-of-all-trades Manny Torres, a supremely talented but uncontrollable rising star Nellie LeRoy, and a washed-out icon of the silent era Jack Conrad. Damien Chazelle's epic drama about the hedonistic excesses of Hollywood has no business being more than 3 hours long, although it looks and sounds fabulous and doesn't really include one dull moment. Chazelle's ambitious film includes some truly memorable set pieces, but also some cringey and blatantly over-the-top sequences. Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. The most obvious reference point is Singin' in the Rain (1952), but it also draws influence from the likes of Sunset Boulevard, The Artist, and The Great Gatsby. Diego Calva gives a likeable breakthrough performance as Manny, but Margot Robbie's well-played character is exhausting, like Harley Quinn on steroids.
