History Film / Babylon2022

* InsistentTerminology: Manny isn't a "studio executive", he's a "movie producer".

The film begins at a debaucherous party in 1926 Hollywood and follows the lives of several attendees over the subsequent years as the industry [[UsefulNotes/RiseOfTheTalkies transitions to sound films]]: aspiring actress Nellie [=LaRoy=] (Creator/MargotRobbie) is abruptly shoved in the spotlight and struggles to maintain her fame; aging movie star Jack Conrad (Creator/BradPitt) wonders if his days of relevance are over; and spunky Mexican-American assistant Manny Torres (Creator/DiegoCalva) rises through the studio system.

The film begins at a debaucherous party in 1926 Hollywood and follows the lives of several attendees over the subsequent years as the industry [[UsefulNotes/RiseOfTheTalkies transitions to sound films]]: aspiring actress Nellie [=LaRoy=] (Creator/MargotRobbie) is abruptly in the spotlight and struggles to maintain her fame; aging movie star Jack Conrad (Creator/BradPitt) wonders if his days of relevance are over; and spunky Mexican-American assistant Manny Torres (Creator/DiegoCalva) rises through the studio system.

* TheGreatDepression: The plot progresses in the 30s, showing how talkies progress from a cutting-edge innovation to industry standard and the cast deal with the growing influence of MoralGuardians over Hollywood and the establishment of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode.

* OhCrap: Manny has this reaction when he sees the premiere of ''Film/TheJazzSinger'' and realizes [[UsefulNotes/RiseOfTheTalkies the state of the motion picture industry is about to change forever.]] He runs out of the theater with a shocked expression while everyone else is cheering and calls Jack on the phone.

The film begins at a debaucherous party in 1926 Hollywood and follows the lives of several attendees over the subsequent years as the industry [[UsefulNotes/RiseOfTheTalkies transitions to sound films]]: aspiring actress Nellie [=LaRoy=] (Creator/MargotRobbie) is abruptly shoved in the spotlight and struggles to maintain her fame; aging movie star Jack Conrad (Creator/BradPitt) wonders if his days of relevance are over; and spunky Mexican-American assistant Manny Torres (Creator/DiegoCalva) rises through the studio system.

* LogoJoke: In the trailer, the stars in the Paramount logo are snorted off as if they're cocaine. At the start of the film, the Paramount logo is shot like [[{{Retraux}} a film from the 1920s]] (and the one at the end of the credits is the 1950s Paramountain).

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Used in-universe. Nellie’s first scene in a talkie has her state that she’s from a small town in Ohio while speaking in her thick, {{Joisey}} accent. Her accent and nasal voice cause further problems from her career.

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:Manny tells Nellie over and over that he loves her and that he always has after she expresses doubts over his plan for them to run away to Mexico, get married, and start a new life together. This gets her to calm down and agree to marry him, though she ends up leaving him later on.]]

* BilingualBonus: Manny's Spanish is not subtitled (though he often says it in English first or afterwards, he doesn't always).

''Babylon'' (2022) is an epic period comedy-drama film about the early days of Hollywood. It was directed and written by Creator/DamienChazelle and features an {{ensemble cast}}.

* GroinAttack: A rare example that is both directed at a woman ''and'' PlayedForDrama - James [=McKay=] threatens to pour acid on Nellie's genitals if she doesn't make good on her gambling debts.

** In the first trailer, Nellie asks the partygoers if they want to see her "fight a fucking snake". In the actual film, she actually asks if they want to see her dad fight a snake - although, since her dad is [[TheAlcoholic much too drunk]], she ends up fighting it anyway.

** Also used earlier in the film when Nellie's first film is premiered - in retrospect suggesting her first descent into the inferno.

* DescentIntoAddiction: Nellie

* GratuitousItalian: Jack Conrad’s first moment onscreen has him rambling to his wife Ina in Italian for some reason. This gets on Ina's nerves, as he's not Italian and she's trying to have a serious conversation about their marriage, even threatening to divorce him if he says one more word in Italian. [[{{Troll}} He responds by ]][[GratuitousGerman speaking in German.]]

* GratuitousItalian: Jack Conrad’s first moment onscreen has him rambling to his wife Ina in Italian for some reason. This gets on Ina's nerves, as he's not Italian and she's trying to have a serious conversation about their marriage, even threatening to divorce him if he says one more word in Italian. [[{{Troll}} He then starts to ]][[GratuitousGerman speak in German.]]

* GratuitousItalian: Jack Conrad’s first moment onscreen has him rambling to his wife Ina in Italian for some reason. This gets on Ina's nerves, as he's not Italian and she's trying to have a serious conversation about their marriage, even threatening to divorce him if he says one more word in Italian.

* ManicPixieDreamGirl:

* MetaCasting: Jack is a movie star whose popularity is declining and feels like he's losing relevance in a rapidly-changing industry. His actor Creator/BradPitt has expressed similar concerns and has talked several times about how he's considering retirement in order to avoid being phased out; one can easily imagine Elinor's monologue to Jack about how he'll be immortalized on film to be directed at Pitt just as much as it is to his character.

* RedFilterOfDoom: The interior of [=McKay's=] underground club, which features various depravities, is bathed throughout in orange and sometimes fully red light; it feels consistently ominous regardless of the actual color.