Not many directors have started off their careers behind the camera as strongly as Damien Chazelle. Whiplash, La La Land, First Man are all incredible. I know some aren’t as high on First Man as the other two, but I actually think it’s the best of his movies. But the point is, the man’s on a heater.
Three movies in, I’m all-in on Chazelle. Doesn’t matter what project he might announce. But when he says he’s going to make a big, epic movie about Hollywood in the 1920s? Oh buddy. And then he casts Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt and Jean Smart and Tobey Maguire, and gets Justin Hurwitz and Linus Sandgren to score and shoot it? On paper, Babylon might be a perfect movie. But actually pulling it off? That’s is another question altogether.
It’s certainly a lot of movie. If you can think of “movie” as a verb, it arguably movies as hard as any movie has ever movied before. This tweet from The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey managed to nail Babylon’s vibe with his initial reaction on Twitter.
Damien Chazelle clearly had a very specific vision for Babylon. And he made exactly that movie, for better or worse.
Babylon is set against the backdrop of Hollywood in the late 1920s, as silent movies are about to give way to “talkies.” It follows several characters at various points in their careers and how they adapt to the changing movie landscape, with the focus on three. There’s Brad Pitt as Jack Conrad, a silent film star forced to adapt to the new era. Margot Robbie as Nellie LaRoy, aspiring actress who finds fast success as a silent film actress. And Diego Calva as Manny Torres, a do-it-all assistant who aspires to be so much more.
Chazelle leans hard into the decadence and debauchery of the period. The opening scene is a massive party that turns into a massive drug-fueled orgy. And that’s the vibe for a good chunk of the movie. It’s big and loud and outrageous right from the start, and it doesn’t let up. Like I said, it’s a lot. As chaotic as Babylon is at the start, that’s also when it’s at its strongest. The first half of the movie is an absolute heater; it’s basically perfect. It’s a manic, frenzied, absurdist comedy. It’s got quippy lines, physical comedy, situational humor. The comedy hits from all sides, and all equally effective.
But more than that, the drama and personal stories mix in flawlessly with the comedic party atmosphere. Much of that is due to the star turns by Pitt, Robbie, and Calva. Pitt as the seasoned star trying to hang onto his relevancy. Robbie as the newcomer doing whatever it takes to make a name for herself. And Calva as the man behind the scenes, always with an eye towards the future.
You expect these kinds of superstar performance from Pitt and Robbie. But Calva is every bit a lead character as those two, and he more than holds his own. The Nellie-Manny individual stories and their relationship form the main undercurrent. They have electric chemistry from the start, and every minute they’re on screen is captivating, especially when they’re together.
But Babylon is Robbie’s movie more than anyone else. As great as Pitt and Calva are, she runs away with the movie. She’s nothing less than magnificent at any point in the movie. But you could argue she’s too good. She’s so good that any time she’s not on screen – especially in the second half – the story feels less than. The first half or so can get away with it, because you’re feeding off the energy and the breakneck pacing.
But the first 90 minutes or so are so intense and rapid, there’s no way it can keep that same pacing for the full 189 minute runtime. Chazelle realizes that, and tries to slow things down a bit in the second half. And that’s where Babylon starts to falter. There’s a point where Babylon shifts to more of a traditional drama. Though to be fair, I’m probably stretching the definition of “traditional” here. So maybe traditional when compared to the previous 90 minutes. It’s still loud and flashy, but oddly lacking the same level of energy.
It’s no coincidence that the movie struggles the most when Robbie is absent for longer stretches, or she’s put into more subdued situations. Even though it’s doubtful Babylon could have maintained the same momentum it started with for a full 3 hours, I would have preferred to see Chazelle try that rather than shift the narrative the way he did. Or, you know, just don’t make it a 3 hour movie.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with a long movie. If a story needs 3 hours to be told, it needs 3 hours to be told. But the key word there is need. And Babylon didn’t need 3 hours. Several scenes went on for just a little too long. The worst offender is Tobey Maguire. To his credit, though, he nails his character. He’s deliciously twisted, and in a vacuum he’s admittedly pretty funny. But his entire inclusion still could have been cut. It was the one scene that managed to feel out of place, the one stretch that felt like too much. And in a movie where an elephant literally shits on someone within the first five minutes, that’s saying something.
But the second half is still strong overall. Robbie has less screen time, sure, but she’s still plenty involved. And the story gives Diego Calva is chance to shine, and he takes it and runs with it. If you’re talking about breakout performances from the year, he has to be one of the first names mentioned. We meet Manny as a wide-eyed hopeful, wanting to make his mark any way he can. And throughout the movie, he keeps that same energy. It’s something anyone who’s ever chased a dream can relate to.
It’s thanks to Calva, Robbie, Pitt, and all the amazing supporting characters that keep Babylon humming throughout its second half. The dramatic parts aren’t structured as well as the preposterous comedic through lines. But when they’re anchored by such strong performances, it’s a little easier to overlook those (small) shortcomings. And it’s not like the second 90 minutes are bland and boring. It’s that the first 90 are so much, it can feel like that. But it’s apparent Chazelle knows that, because there’s just enough absurd nonsense in the back half to wet your whistle.
Then there are the technical aspects. If there’s one thing we’ve come to know about Damien Chazelle movies, it’s that the aesthetics are going to be top notch. And here the production and costume designs and the score essentially function as characters themselves. The atmosphere and vibes add such a strong presence felt from minute 1 to minute 189. Justin Hurwitz created arguably the best score of the year, and every song is a perfect fit, down to each individual note. These parts had to be knocked out of the park. Everything in Babylon is on such a grand scale, that if the techs didn’t match that feeling, the whole thing could fall apart. There are times when the sets and the music are even outdoing the characters.
But with all of that, what it ultimately comes down to for me, what puts it over the top, is a vibe check. Something so simple for such a massive movie. I’ve thought about Babylon every day since I saw it. And even though I know there are parts that don’t work as well as I hoped they would, I feel energized thinking about it. I think about Voodoo Mama and Call Me Manny (my two favorite songs from the soundtrack); Margot Robbie and PJ Byrne (a completely unhinged performance, one of my absolute favorites of the year, and the unsung MVP of the movie as far as I’m concerned) in the “Hello college” scene; Nellie’s introduction and her “You don’t become a star. You either are one…or you ain’t” ethos that tells you exactly who her character is.
There’s simply nothing else like Babylon. You can talk all you want about a movie’s runtime, plot holes, poorly written scenes, and whatever other complaints you can come up with. But at the end of the day, if it makes you feel something, who cares? And that’s what Babylon did for me. The weird thing, though, is I don’t how I would describe what it made me feel. It made me feel good, excited, amped up. But that doesn’t fully encompass it. Maybe it’s simply as straightforward as Sean Fennessey’s tweet. It’s a fucking movie!
Score: 93/100
