I never doubted French film critics would fall hard for Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon.” The film is being released in France on Wednesday and, as it currently stands, with 33 reviews amassed it has a 4.0 rating on AlloCine (France’s equivalent to Rotten Tomatoes).
That rating sure as hell beats the 55% on Rotten Tomatoes that it currently has. Ditto that 61 on Metacritic. Of course, the grouchy critics over at Cahiers du Cinema gave it 1-star.
“All the scenes are edited to crescendo, even orgasmic effects, highlighted by the unbearable mickeymousing of composer Justin Hurwitz’ score, but this agitation stems from desperaton, just like the over-expressiveness of the acting.”
You gotta love Cahiers.
Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting to see how well “Babylon” does at the overseas box-office. There has been a lot of marketing for the film in Europe, where Brad Pitt is a major draw, and Chazelle is also a very well-regarded filmmaker, especially in France. Add in the positive reviews and this could translate into good cash for “Babylon.”