Babylonis due to hit theaters later this month for a limited Christmas Day release before going onto wider distribution in January. StarringMargot Robbieand Brad Pitt, the Damien Chazelle movie takes audiences back to the 1920s, when actors had big dreams and lives of excessive extravagance set to a soundtrack of jazz tunes. The central theme of debauchery and its consequences was very much of the time. According to Margot Robbie, today’s technological world wouldn’t allow stars of Hollywood to go to the same insane levels of partying. She toldTotal Film:
“There are some huge parties inBabylon, and we shot for ages. The thing is, you’re inside, and you don’t see the daylight. You start going a bit loopy. It is really fun. At some point, you’re like, ‘Get me out of here. This has to stop.’ But I find it really fun. It definitely feels like you’re at a party. Of course, people still party and have fun, but because everyone has an iPhone, and there’s cancel culture, and there’s constant technology present everywhere, I think it would be impossible to behave the way they were behaving in the 1920s.”
Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy inBabylon, a would-be actress who falls headfirst into the torrid, depraved, and insane world of 1920s Los Angeles, while Brad Pitt is Jack Conrad, a fictionalized combination of many male stars of the time such as Clark Gable, John Gilbert, and Douglas Fairbanks. The supporting cast includes Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, Jean Smart, Lukas Haas, Max Minghella, Samara Weaving, Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Katherine Waterston, and Tobey Maguire.
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Is Margot Robbie andBabylonHeading For Oscar Glory?
Babylon’s release strategy is certainly based on giving the movie a shot at Oscar glory in 2023. The film will receive a limited theatrical release on Christmas Day to ensure it can be included for Oscar consideration and then goes on general release on July 23, 2025.
Early reactions toBabylonhave been mostly positive. With an A-list cast and a director with a pretty solid track record, there is every chance thatBabyloncould be a strong Oscar contender in several categories. While some believe the movie could have done with something more of a filter in place, likening its whirling, “purposeful mess” of a story to the lavish excess of the era it depicts.
One thing that pretty much all early reviews do agree on is that Margot Robbie gives a tour-de-force performance that is already being touted asthe best of her career. With the in-demand actress having already secured Oscar nominations in the past, it seems inconceivable that she won’t once again find herself among the 2023 shortlist of nominations. Still, she will have some tough competition from the likes of Ana de Armas, Michelle Yeoh, and Michelle Williams.
