Welcome to the Movie Club! Today’s movie is Damien Chazelle’s Hollywood epic Babylon!
Babylon features an ensemble cast, following various characters on their journey through Hollywood during the transition from silent to sound films. At the centre of its narrative is Manny Torres (Diego Calva), a Mexican worker who begins working for successful actor Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), while also crossing paths with Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), a young actress looking to become a star.
Babylon first premiered on November 14th, 2022, before a wide release a month later on December 23rd. Critical reviews have been mixed, as it currently has a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was a bomb in the box office despite its star power, earning only $64 million against a production budget of $80 million.12 Despite this, it has earned a bit of a cult following in the few years since its release, with some publications ranking it on various “Best Of” lists.34
- Many of the characters in the movie are inspired by multiple real life figures from the period. Brad Pitt’s character was inspired by both John Gilbert and Douglas Fairbanks, while Margot Robbie’s was inspired by Clara Bow.
- The film was also inspired by various memoirs and books written about the history of Hollywood, such as Kevin Brownlow’s The Parade’s Gone By…, old issues of Photoplay, and an obscure old travelogue called Stardust in Hollywood.
- Diego Calva rehearsed the entire movie with Damien Chazelle in his backyard. They recorded it all on Chazelle’s iPhone and even edited a cut of it.
What did you think? Share your thoughts below!
Up Next: November is another month with a coincidental theme: movies about movies. We will meet next on November 28th at 12PM EST to discuss Joe Dante’s comedy Matinee! Check out the trailer and where it’s playing below:
USA
- Stream: Nada!
- Rent or Buy: Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Google Play, YouTube, Spectrum (Rental only)
Canada
- Stream: Nada!
- Rent or Buy: Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
UK
- Stream: Arrow Player (also via Prime Video)
- Rent or Buy: Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
- https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/babylon_2022 ↩︎
- https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Babylon-(2022)#tab=summary ↩︎
- https://collider.com/best-movies-2020s-ranked/ ↩︎
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/readers-movies-21st-century.html ↩︎
- https://www.buzzfeed.com/sam_cleal/brad-pitt-damien-chazelle-babylon-interview ↩︎
- https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/damien-chazelle-interview-babylon ↩︎
- https://awardswatch.com/interview-babylon-stars-margot-robbie-and-diego-calva-on-their-bond-the-audaciousness-of-damien-chazelle-and-hot-chicken-wings/ ↩︎