Excessive Excess

 

I wish I coined the title of today's entry but a good friend of mine did when he told me his thoughts on the movie "Babylon."  I can't say I disagree.   At a running time of 3 hours, every single scene goes on way too long.   Didn't some director know how to say the word "cut?"

Since "Babylon" comes from the same creative team that brought us the wonderful "LaLa Land," I had high hopes for this one.  Plus it was about the world of Hollywood during the years where studios transitioned from silents to talkies.  This had to be great, right?

Dead, dead wrong.

"Babylon" is about Tinsel Town through the eyes of several characters.  Brad Pitt plays an heart throb/actor struggling to stay relevant.  Margot Robbie is a would-be starlet who will do anything to get a part.   There's a Mexican waiter dying to get into the business and a Black jazz musician who has to smudge his face with burnt cork to make himself even darker just to get work.   Plus the always welcome Jean Smart has a few good scenes as a Hollywood gossip columnist.

Now all of the performances are fine.   And if the filmmakers had stuck to showing up the industry at work, "Babylon" would have worked --- sort of like the non-musical plot of "Singin' In The Rain," and clips from that play into the "Babylon" story.   But every time it's interesting, we cut to twenty minutes of a Hollywood party full of decadence and debauchery and a lot of vomit.  

It turns this film from a decent one to an awful one.   And that's a damn shame. Deep down, there is a good movie here.   And with about 45 to 60 minutes of partying cut, "Babylon" would have been that good movie.

But, alas, no.   Because, as I said, the excess was excessive.

LEN'S RATING:  One stars.

Dinner last night:  Leftover Orange chicken.