Babylon is the newly released epic by Damien Chazelle that showcases the “glory” days of Hollywood in the late 1920s and early 1930s from the perspective of an aging actor, a new starlet, and a lover of cinema that wants to rise to the top of the production side of the industry.
The ensemble cast and grand scale have been made apparent by the marketing, but the critical and fan reception now that the film is released has been greatly divided. While performances are being praised, the style and the seeming digs at Hollywood and cinema, in general, are being called confused and strange. Nevertheless, fans of Babylon looking for more should check out some of these films from throughout history.
7 Singin’ In The Rain
In many ways, Babylon almost feels like a modernized retelling of Singin’ In The Rain without as much music or dancing. This movie, which is considered one of the greatest of all time, tells of the transitional period between silent movies and talkies in Hollywood, and how it affects a number of stars.
Featuring Gene Kelly at the head of an amazing ensemble cast, Singin’ In The Rain is an amazing story that features incredible music and tells of tales similar to what some of the characters go through in Babylon, such as a silent movie star whose voice and acting talents are hated in the age of the talkies. Fans of Babylon will note that the film was also played in the closing sequence of Babylon itself, and so is a particularly notable addition to this list.
6 The Wolf Of Wall Street
Another epic film with a ludicrous amount of sexual content and rich people throwing insane, drug-fuelled parties, The Wolf Of Wall Street was Martin Scorsese’s movie about Jordan Belfort, who rose and fell on Wall Street by using corrupt practices to make himself hugely rich.
What’s more for Babylon fans, not only is the style of film similar, but The Wolf Of Wall Street featured Margot Robbie as well in the breakout role that helped make her a household name and sex symbol worldwide. Her appearance in Babylon mirrors her first blockbuster appearance from a full decade ago.
5 Boogie Nights
While Babylon is a film that in itself is about film production and features a lot of raunchy material, Boogie Nights is a film that is about the production of raunchy films. Focusing on the ins and outs of the adult film industry. Featuring a big cast with Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, and Heather Graham to name but a few, Boogie Nights is to adult films what Babylon is to classic ones.
The rise and fall of Wahlberg’s character in the industry over the course of the film is told with a lot of flair, style, and definitely a lot of drugs. It is reminiscent in some ways of how Margot Robbie’s character in Babylon couldn’t keep herself sober enough or away from gambling in order to keep the career she built for herself.
4 La La Land
If viewers were fans of Babylon, then possibly the best news of all is that Babylon director Damien Chazelle already made a film reminiscing on the life of dreamers in Hollywood. It was called La La Land, and while this film is a much drier take than the cocaine-fuelled parties of Babylon on the lives of those in Hollywood, it is still a dazzling and beautiful display featuring amazing songs and performances.
La La Land is about an aspiring actress and a jazz musician who meet and fall in love in modern-day Los Angeles but find themselves struggling to attain their dreams while staying together as the magic of their initial romance fades somewhat. The beauty of this film and the similarities to how Chazelle made and focused on Babylon are apparent immediately upon watching.
3 Hail, Caesar!
If Babylon appealed to viewers from the perspective of being a movie about how difficult it is to make movies, such as the scene where Margot Robbie tries to film a scene with the new talkies' technology, then Hail, Caesar is an excellent film to check out.
From the big cast, which includes the likes of Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Channing Tatum, and Scarlett Johansson, to the inane comedic styling and the various stories of increasingly ludicrous Hollywood shenanigans, there is no end to the strangeness and fun of this comedic piece of work. Following a Hollywood fixer as he considers leaving the profession, the Coen brothers brought their unique comedic style to this film and the Hollywood production.
2 Tropic Thunder
If a group of actors getting out of their depth with shady underground folks was a favorite sequence in Babylon, then Tropic Thunder could be the perfect film to check out next. Following another great ensemble cast including Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Tom Cruise, and Jay Baruchel, as a group of actors filming a war film who have to actually fight for their lives in the jungle.
This epic case of mistaken identities takes everything about Hollywood and war movies in particular and turns the tropes on their head. The deconstruction in this comedy was fueled by great performances and terrific comedy, helping make Tropic Thunder a most memorable movie for everyone involved.
1 A Star Is Born
A much more serious take on the “rise-and-fall” style of film, A Star Is Born is a retelling of a hundred-year-old tale starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper as an aging music star and a young starlet as they fall in love despite their career paths heading in opposite directions.
The beauty of this film and the two great performances are reminiscent of the more serious stories of Brad Pitt’s character and Margot Robbie’s character in different parts of Babylon, despite both falling by the end of the film in this case, check out the incredible soundtrack for a few extra tears.