Every Damien Chazelle Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

   November 10, 2024
Damien Chazelle and Emma Stone on the set of La La Land (2017)
Damien Chazelle and Emma Stone on the set of La La Land (2017)

Damien Chazelle has quickly become one of the most exciting voices in modern cinema, known for his ambitious style and deep exploration of artistic obsession. Chazelle broke into Hollywood with Whiplash, a gripping tale of a jazz drummer’s relentless drive to be the best, which earned him critical acclaim and multiple awards. But it was La La Land that catapulted him to international fame, blending romance and nostalgia into a modern musical that captured audiences worldwide and made him the youngest Best Director winner in Oscar history.

Chazelle’s career reflects a clear fascination with ambition and the highs and lows that come with pursuing a dream. Each of his films, from the heart-pounding Whiplash to the epic scope of First Man, showcases his dedication to both technical craft and storytelling depth, making him a filmmaker whose work is always worth watching.

4. Babylon (2022)

Babylon (2022)

Damien Chazelle announces himself as the antichrist with Babylon – a film focused on the fake it til you make it side of the industry, and Chazelle might just be faking it after all. I’ll be tossing and turning in my head for months about whether he deserves the ending that he presents, because he’s having his cake and eating it to with that final montage, but at least along the way he also throws it up and laughs at you for thinking he’d do anything else. I love it.

Babylon stars Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Assassination of Jesse James, Fight Club), Margot Robbie (Amsterdam, Barbie, Asteroid City), and Diego Calva (Bird Box Barcelona).

Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Babylon (2022).

3. La La Land (2017)

la la land

2. First Man (2018)

First Man (2018)

1. Whiplash (2014)

whiplash

There’s a timeless quality to Whiplash that will keep it in the culture for years to come. It helps that Chazelle keeps getting bolder and bolder with his visions, and no one should be surprised after the volatile trip he takes you on in this one. Whether he crashes and burns like his characters here, or he soars like his protagonists in La La Land or First Man (literally), his films will be stand-ins for the medium’s zeitgeists many decades from now.

Whiplash stars Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now, Only the Brave, Top Gun: Maverick) and J.K. Simmons (Juno, Rally Road Racers).

Read Cinephile Corner’s review of Whiplash (2014).

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