So actor/comedian Will Ferrell through his Funny or Die collective and along with creator/writers Matt Piedmont and Andrew Steele, presents The Spoils of Babylon, a mini-series parody of…1970/80’s era mini-series.
And it is quite funny…if (a BIG if) you’re familiar with the format they’re parodying and are therefore clued in on the jokes.
I suspect there are going to be many people who are not at all familiar with those mini-series of the past and therefore likely shut this show off after giving it a only a few minutes of their time. But, again, having experienced those old, sometimes turgid romantic/quasi-historical/soap-opera-esq mini-series in the past, this parody proved to me quite entertaining.
Having said that, I’ll also grant you aren’t going to have laugh out loud sessions with this like you would, say, the movie Airplane! The Spoils of Babylon at times comes perilously close, especially with its plot, to outright emulating those mini-series from the past. In fact, if it were played “seriously” and released back in the late 1970’s, I suspect it might well have been a hit!
The story involves the mighty Morehouse family and their rise from the 1930’s to their fall in the 1970’s. Patriarch Jonas Morehouse (Tim Robbins) is a low down and very poor dirt farmer hoping to find oil on his property. One day while driving along with his daughter, Cynthia (played as an adult by Kristen Wiig), they pick up the young Devon (played as an adult by Tobey Maguire). The young Devon is walking about in the sun with no memory of who he is or if he has any family, so Jonas adopts him. Because they are of roughly the same age, Cynthia and Devon develop feelings for each other. When Father Jonas finds out, he forbids the “brother” and “sister” (though they have no genetic link) from being together. It is Devon and Cynthia’s lustful temptation and forbidden love which fuels the “tragic” plot to follow.
In short order Jonas and Devon find oil on their property and the family becomes a powerhouse in the business world and hugely influential within the U.S. government. But the coming War, generational changes, and Devon’s attempts to follow his adoptive father’s orders to not get involved with his sister lead to murders, drug abuse, a bastard child, and, ultimately, a Greek-like tragedy.
You know, your typical late 70’s early 80’s mini-series story!
Those who are in on the joke will find plenty of stuff to enjoy, from Kristen Wiig’s wonderful, expressive acting (she really looks to relish her role as the femme fatale/spurned lover/feminist/murderer/temptress Cynthia). Tobey Maguire, while quite humorous in many sequences, has a more sedate/straight-man role. Will Ferrell gets to show up as the Orson Welles-esq Eric Jonrush, “author” of the best-selling potboiler novel that was the basis of this mini-series and director of the same. His introductory and concluding comments for each episode are alternately loopy, bizarre, and at times quite hilarious, as is his cameo within the feature itself. Val Kilmer also shows up for a couple of scenes as part of the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex, and his dry readings are also very funny. Haley Joel Osment delivers a loopy turn as the unhinged Winston Morehouse, the bastard child of Devon and Cynthia.
Again, I freely admit The Spoils of Babylon might not be for everyone, especially the young ‘uns who don’t have any idea of what this mini-series is parodying. Those who do, however, should find plenty to enjoy. The Spoils of Babylon may not always be a “laugh out loud” type experience, but there is plenty of dry humor and cheese to enjoy.
Recommended.