99 Words About … The epic silliness of ‘The Spoils of Babylon’

By CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

11 years ago

Cynthia Morehouse (Kristen Wiig) and Devon Morehouse (Tobey Maguire) appear in a scene from IFC’s "The Spoils of Babylon." (Katrina Marcinowski/IFC)

Imagine producing a sprawling “The Thorn Birds”-style miniseries for roughly $197 and you have a good idea of the spirit of IFC’s “The Spoils of Babylon.”

Presented as the masterpiece of self-described author-producer-actor-writer-director-raconteur-bon vivant-legend-fabulist Eric Jonrosh (Will Ferrell), the only thing epic about the decades-long love affair between Cynthia Morehouse (Kristen Wiig) and her adopted brother, Devon (Tobey Maguire), is its silliness.

Filmed in 93mm Breath-Take-O-Scope from 1976-79*, complete with a Steve Lawrence theme**, its effects are ludicrously chintzy. There’s an undersea steakhouse. For no discernible reason, one character is portrayed by a mannequin.

See all six parts starting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

*Not really.

** Yes, really.

— CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE