disclaimer: mild spoilers for Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola sold a portion of his winery to make my favorite film of 2024, Megalopolis. The internet will tell you that this convoluted mess was a “megaflopolis,” but this truly is Coppola’s magnum opus. Taking over 40 years to produce, it was worth waiting my lifetime two times over to see Megalopolis, and I will stand by that until the day I die. Maybe I love the film because I’m pretentious, or perhaps, inversely, all the true meanings and nuances went completely over my head, and my simple interpretations make it difficult for me to understand why it has been so poorly received; all I know is that this is a classic through and through.
The general plot draws inspiration from the Catilinarian Conspiracy of the late Roman Republic, but the film is sprinkled with clear references to the current political climate. In 63 BCE, Lucius Sergius Catilina, colloquially Cataline, lost the consulship to Marcus Tullius Cicero, colloquially Cicero. Cataline then conspired—hence the conspiracy—against Cicero. Cataline ultimately failed, leading to his exposure and exile. I did not know Megalopolis was based on these historic proceedings before viewing it. However, I quickly picked up on the allusion because Adam Driver’s character is literally named Cesar Catilina, and his rival is Franklyn Cicero (played by Giancarlo Esposito). In Latin class of my sophomore year of high school, I had the pleasure of reading Cicero’s “In Catilinam I,” an oration against Cataline. I am not always too fond or proud of my days as a Latin scholar, but I do have a soft spot for Cicero and “In Catilinam I.” This can be attributed to my roommate at the time, who was in the same class section as me. At any minor inconvenience throughout the year, and even still today, we’ll proclaim to each other, “O Tempora! O Mores!” which translates to “Oh what times! Oh what customs!” and is a part of one of the opening statements. We also loved that Cicero meant “chickpea.”
What I failed to realize at the time of reading Cicero was that the primary purpose was to introduce us to a plethora of rhetorical devices. I know that I implicitly draw on this knowledge regularly, but Megalopolis is the only media I’ve consumed that so boldly utilizes these mechanisms––namely, tricolon crescens, a pompous way of describing a list of three increasing in intensity. Honestly, tricolons and tricolon crescens always seemed lame and not like actual tools of rhetoric––that was wildly entitled of me. Arguably the most iconic quote of the whole movie only works because of tricolon crescens. Adam Driver’s line, “So go back to the club,” only works because of Nathalie Emmanuel’s delivery of her triplet, “Entitles me? ENTITLES me? ENTITLES ME?” I will admit, the lines of triplets feel out of place because no one actually talks like this, or at least no one I talk to does. However, because this is Megalopolis, the strangeness only adds to the campiness. Even if it is a bit silly, Coppola is authentic to the text, which I admire.
So what, I appreciate the basis of the film. Why else am I lauding this film? Adam Driver. Ever since Adam Driver first hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 2016, I have not been able to see him as a completely serious acteur. Though, neither has SNL––Lorne Michaels doesn’t ask someone to host four times if they aren’t funny. While that does not necessarily make him a comedian, I believe he is an incredible actor in the genre. If there is a project with Driver in it, I will probably view it expecting a tinge of comedy, even if unintentional. Driver’s strongest moments were undoubtedly his more unserious ones, particularly his screaming at Crassus’s home. At one point, Catilina is shot in the face. If this was a true drama, he would have died then and there in the car. However, this is Megalopolis, and one of the other major plot points is that Catilina wants to reinvigorate the urban fabric of New Rome with his substance, megalon. Not much is revealed about megalon other than it is the material of utopia and it does not exist in our world. Catilina heals using the megalon but regardless remains injured for a short portion of the film. During this window, he realizes he has no access to his bank account, which is run by Crassus’s bank. With no bank access, Catilina has no money to continue his expensive endeavors utilizing megalon. This causes him to scream “no” repeatedly, with each “no” more intense than the last, a crescens for sure. If Cataline’s face had not been shot and fixed by this made-up material, perhaps the scene would have true gravity to it. Then, Driver adds emphasis to the comedy through his gyrations and general inability to sit in a chair at that moment. The entire sequence is a confirmation of Adam Driver’s abilities as a comedic figure.
Thinking about the film overall, the best chapter was “Bread and Circuses.” The portion took place at the marriage of Crassus (Jon Voight) and Wow Platinum, the gossip news reporter played by none other than Aubrey Plaza. Even though Aubrey Plaza often stirs the pot in her roles, her sole purpose in this film was to be overly promiscuous and ambitious. There is also a notable age gap between the couple, and, not even a few minutes earlier in the film, Wow Platinum had a fling with Cataline. Their marriage incited a massive party in their equivalent of Madison Square Garden. The celebration involved gladiatorial fights, acrobatics, and a performance by Vesta Sweetheart (Grace VanderWaal)—remember cursive singing girl? While the main events ensue, Catilina goes into the depths of the stadium and gets high out of his mind. Thanks to the color grading and general cutting, this sequence conveys the chaos of Catilina’s mental state at the time. While “Bread and Circuses” is my favorite chapter, the best individual scene is when Crassus murders Wow Platinum. While grim in relation to the rest of the film, the way he does this makes the scene so enjoyable. See, while Wow Platinum married Crassus, what she truly wanted was his bank to be rich and win back Catilina. She recruited Crassus’s notoriously clueless grandson, Claudio (Shia Labeouf), through seduction to help her acquire the accounts. For a slice of time, Wow Platinum does have the bank; however, she and Shia Labeouf stumble into Crassus’s chamber to find him with a massive boner. Psych! It’s a crossbow, and he shoots Wow dead in the chest and Shia Lebeouf twice in the rear. Even in the twists and turns of Megalopolis, I would never have expected such a fate for Wow Platinum, or Crassus, for that matter.
Thus far, I have seen Megalopolis twice. One of the times I even missed the aurora borealis for it, so you best believe I am in love with and committed to Megalopolis. While I thoroughly enjoy this film, I do have to admit I think my opinions would offend Coppola. I view Megalopolis like I view Riverdale. The viewers who want real, profound drama are inevitably going to be the ones who hate both. You cannot go into Megalopolis thinking it will be the next Apocalypse Now. However, that does not make it a bad film, it just makes the audience more specific. I had an English teacher who once told me that you can’t please everyone, so create your work with a specific audience in mind, and in that, you will reach many more people than if you wrote for a general body. So while I might not be the target of Coppola’s work, I certainly found immense value in it.
