Babylon
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 189 minutes / 3.15 hours
If there’s one thing in common with Damien Chazelle’s films, it’s how they center on the sacrifices people endure to pursue their dreams. Whiplash (2014) focused on the physical limits someone might endure to become a successful drummer. La La Land (2016) highlighted how relationships and careers might need to take a second seat to pursuing a dream. First Man (2018) showed how a family might suffer to pursue something greater. Following this trend, Babylon (2022) gives light to the inability of some who have attained their dream—sometimes at great personal cost—to keep it in an ever-changing world.
I can succinctly state the problem with Babylon as “I didn’t need to see that.” Clocking in at over three hours long, there were plenty of storylines that could have been cut. For instance, we’ve already seen Brad Pitt’s story of a famed silent film star struggling to find relevance in the talkies through the Best Picture, The Artist (2011). In fact, the whole of Babylon comes off as a gritty remake of Singin’ in the Rain (1952). Additionally, within the first five minutes, there’s elephant defecation and a woman urinating on a man—and this is well before Margot Robbie has projectile vomiting later in the film.
It’s tragic that Babylon could have been better. There are significant moments that worked really well and highlighted the differences and difficulties working with sound. There’s also excellent subtext about making it in this era of Hollywood through hard work (if you’re non-white) or just plain luck (if you’re white). Topping everything off is the ear-worm-worthy score by Justin Hurwitz, which should win all the awards it deserves. I wanted to like Babylon more, but there’s only so much that can recommend it without having to also suggest fast-forwarding through other bits.
A bloated, if not occasionally poignant look at the Hollywood transition to talkies, I give Babylon 3.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
