'Babylon' film review: Damien Chazelle's bloated ode to old Hollywood excess & orgies

If 'La La Land' was re-imagined as a darker, needlessly vulgar tale of dreamers navigating old Hollywood, the result would be the meandering and over-the-top drama 'Babylon' (opening in additional cities Dec. 23).

In short: Several characters traverse Hollywood during the revolutionary transition from silent to sound films in the late 1920s. Stars Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jovan Adepo and Jean Smart.

'Babylon' really is the bitter, self-indulgent spiritual prequel to 'La La Land,' itself the story of two dreamers chasing seemingly impossible and romantic dreams set in modern Hollywood, the land where dreams come true. Whereas 'La La Land' was the focused and timeless story of two relatable people chasing their dreams - 'Babylon' is a terribly unfocused hodgepodge of several intertwined stories, tied to a very specific era, all sorta moving in a general direction. The signature "City of Stars" harmony from 'La La Land' even pops up during key 'Babylon' scenes, only underscoring the distant thematic connection between these two very different stories of people trying to chase Hollywood dreams.

'Babylon' is so weirdly and pointlessly scatalogical that it's just absurd. Within the first 10 minutes, one character is covered in shit - and another character is urinated on. In fact, there's a surprising number of characters who are covered in shit, piss, blood and vomit throughout the flick. And the flick sprinkles a weird number of dead side characters just for good measure. But more offensive than any of the film's actual content is the brutal three-hour runtime.

The movie starts with a chaotic party defined by its utter debauchery, but it also introduces the audience to the four main characters who all happen to be at that party: veteran silent film star Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), wannabe actress Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), aspiring filmmaker "Manny" Torres (Diego Calva) and jazz musician Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo). The story finds them making movies during the waning days of the silent era - and the "talkies" change their lives forever.

Distilled down to its essence, 'Babylon' is basically a cautionary tale warning of celebrity excess and the baggage of actually achieving one's dreams. The fact that the flick takes three hours to make this point is a massive problem - and it basically makes the same point four different times. No single one of these stories is terribly compelling to stand on itself - and director-writer Damien Chazelle makes the mistake of intertwining four middling stories rather than telling one compelling story.

The fact that 'Babylon' is a tapestry of mediocre stories isn't itself inherently problematic - the fact that these stories are so unfocused is a massive issue. The story, which spans decades, lurches through the years - and plot never really gives the audience a clear direction where any of the stories are actually headed. The overall flick meanders with virtually no clear trajectory - which just leaves the audience constantly wondering "where is this going?" So instead, 'Babylon' elects for a more experiential tone, immersing the audience in the turbulent '20s and '30s parties and filmmaking. This absolutely works for the opening chaos of the party at Jack Conrad's mansion and the nerve-wracking intensity of a silent era crew trying to film their first "talkie" - but overall the lack of focus just makes the already long movie feel impossibly and annoyingly long.

Some great acting performances and legit great production design are the only aspects of 'Babylon' that actually work. Margot Robbie shines as the undeniably iridescent actress who rockets her way to silent movie stardom. It's no coincidence that Robbie is integral to the film's very best scenes. Brad Pitt's character just sorta coasts for the first half of 'Babylon,' but once the script finally gives his character an arch, Pitt gets to flesh out Jack Conrad's struggles as an aging star trying to maintain his celebrity amid a massive revolution. And for a film set in the golden era of Hollywood, 'Babylon' is a stunning work of production design. The period flick looks like black and white photos brought to life.

'Babylon' is a beautiful looking film that has a couple of truly engrossing scenes that capture the struggle of Hollywood redefining itself with the advent of sound ... but unfortunately the film is pure excess on too many vectors. 'Babylon' is the sum of several middling plotlines that wander without clear direction. This is especially inexcusable due to the film's three-hour runtime, which absolutely allowed more time for character or story development - but did neither. A couple of great scenes and some strong performances do not make up for a bloated film with little clear trajectory featuring several mediocre plots.

Final verdict: 'Babylon' is anti-thesis of 'La La Land' in every way. Given that 'La La Land' was incredible, this is not a compliment to 'Babylon.'

Score: 2/5

'Babylon' opens in additional cities Dec. 16. This dramatic comedy has a runtime of 188 minutes and is rated R for strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity, bloody violence, drug use, and pervasive language.