A comedic fairy tale with traces of poignancy at every other turn
There are two obvious reasons which make Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, if not the year, for many a moviegoer. First, it’s one of the few big budget original properties in existence in a film world where reboots and franchises show no sign of slowing down ANYTIME soon. Second, it represents the latest brainchild from Quentin Tarantino, one of the few remaining filmmakers whose sole name almost guarantees an audience comprised of the most excitable and hungry film lovers.
His latest is another feast for cinephiles: a snapshot of 1969 Hollywood, where a fading TV/B-movie star (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stuntman (Brad Pitt) try to navigate a rapidly changing showbiz landscape that’s symbolized in part by his new next door neighbor, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Once Upon a Time will almost certainly not be for conventional tastes. The movie is a hybrid that blends fiction and history to create a flavor so completely unique…even for a Tarantino movie. The film is funny, whimsical, tense, a tad violent, and ultimately poignant, managing to reinforce the director’s versatile love of cinematic storytelling and the kind of invigorating feeling the power of the movies can offer those who surrender themselves to them.
In lieu of a standard review (Jon and Justin have got that covered here and here), I decided to run down the six top attributes within Tarantino’s latest, all of which prove Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood tale a tale worth every minute of its runtime.
1. The Bromance: While I hate using that horrendous example of our common parlance, it does prove to be the best way to describe the relationship between the movie’s two central characters. Actor and stunt double, boss and employee, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, or just plain old best friends are just a few of the labels you can attach to this quasi-codependent relationship. Rick and Cliff are such well-written and diverting characters, contrasting and complimenting each other perfectly. The former is worried about his professional and financial future as well as his own identity and self-worth, while the latter is more or less content with his life, unafraid of what lies ahead. The commonality both share is the fact that each man is defined by his respective past in the eyes of virtually everyone, save for each other. Watching their shorthand as one of the most sterling examples of something genuine in a city known for illusion, is touching.
2. Hollywood Revisited: Besides the starry leads and the filmmaker’s pull with audiences, it’s the recreation of one of the most dynamic eras in Hollywood history that serves as one of the movie’s major draws. Both authentic and imaginary, Tarantino’s venturing into the Hollywood of 1969 is an escape not only visually, but thematically as well. The party at the Playboy mansion Sharon and her friends attend is exactly the kind of spectacular feast for the eyes that’s so easily devoured where the likes of Mama Cass are hanging out as Peyton Place-like happenings go on. It’s the centerpiece of a world that the director has resurrected, with a specificity that goes beyond buildings and costumes. We see Sharon have lunch with Joanna Pettet (Rumer Willis) and Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) shows up at the infamous house on Cielo Drive “looking for Terry,” meaning Terry Melcher, Doris Day’s record executive son who became Manson’s original intended victim some time after refusing to sign him. All of it serves to illustrate a unique era in its prime and the point at which it started to vanish.
3. A Tribute to Sharon Tate: It’s hard to describe the different levels of emotion that take over every time Robbie’s Sharon turns up on the screen. Sadness and nostalgia complete until a feeling of joy washes over as we watch a director offer up a loving portrait of Sharon that explores who she was apart from her untimely death. In the character’s main sequence, we see Sharon pick up a random hitchhiking teenager and give her a hug once they depart before going in to buy a rare book for her famous director husband. We then see her spontaneously enter a movie theater where The Wrecking Crew (the Dean Martin spy comedy in which she had a supporting role) is playing. Watching Sharon watching herself is truly one of the most beautiful moments in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. Seeing her be taken by the audiences laughter at her pratfalls shows a blissfully happy woman reveling in the fact that her dreams, both personal and professional, are coming true. Many have tried to chronicle the tragically short life of Sharon Tate, yet Tarantino is the first to capture her essence.
4. The Quentin Tarantino Players: Whether it’s Michael Madsen as a B-movie actor (seen only for a brief second in one of Rick’s movies within the movie), Zoe Bell as a stunt coordinator’s wife, or Bruce Dern as the owner of the infamous Spahn Ranch, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is populated with one of the most impressive rosters of the year. Besides DiCaprio, Pitt, and Robbie, Kurt Russell as said stunt coordinator, Dakota Fanning as famed Manson follower Squeaky Fromme, and Al Pacino as a high-powered agent all enjoy roles which range from enjoyably flashy to carefully nuanced. Timothy Olyphant and Luke Perry (in his final role) turn up as a pair of TV cowboys, Lorenza Izzo makes a briefly hilarious appearance as Italian actress Franchesca Capucci, and Damian Lewis has a ball trying his hand at the cool that was Steve McQueen. How well the actors inhabit their real-life counterparts (or their imaginary ones) is debatable. What isn’t is the fun everyone on screen seems to be having; a fact unquestionably shared by the folks watching them.
5. The Laughs: Humor has always factored into every Tarantino movie, regardless of the copious amount of violence that has dominated the majority of his work. Here, the opposite seems to be the case as the director has piled on the laughs, most of which carry more of a natural lightness to them instead of the usual dark tones. Rick’s never ending neuroses and insecurity are ripe for comedy gold, and Tarantino wastes no opportunity at any possible laugh because of it. The various movies and TV shows within the movie offer themselves up for some good-natured laughs due to the B-level material certain actors were saddled with during that time. Meanwhile, Cliff’s showdown with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) is a showstopper for the sheer absurdity of the situation itself, and although the movie’s finale (when some gruesomeness does come into play) mixes violence and hilarity, it does so in a way that makes it impossible not to bust out laughing.
6. The End: A friend of mine commented after watching Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood that your appreciation for the movie may depend on how affecting you found those last few minutes. He’s right. There’s a lingering tinge of sadness throughout the entire film when, as an audience member, you are reminded of the events which will inevitably transpire and your inability to do anything but watch as everything vibrant and exciting about late-’60s Hollywood is about to turn. Yet Tarantino presents said events in such a surprisingly loving way, remaining as respectful as is possible while he recreates one of the most defining nights of the decade. Although I won’t reveal anything about the director’s brilliant and touching interpretation of a night in Hollywood that went down in infamy, I can only say that the ending represents his greatest tribute to the era and the people who made it what it was.
As usual, Tarantino gets everything he can out of one of the most impressive ensembles ever put together. DiCaprio and Pitt are such natural fits for their roles. The former plays with insecurity and neuroses brilliantly, while the latter conveys a coolness masking a slightly dark undertone. Meanwhile Robbie manages the most moving performance within the movie. Despite claims of having an underwritten role, the actress gives what may be her most compelling and accomplished work yet. As mentioned before, the trio, along with the rest of the sprawling cast, are all joys to watch play in the world Tarantino has brought back to life and made his own. Still, Tarantino’s work is always ripe for criticism, more so than most filmmakers, and this time around is no different. Indeed some have put down the fact that for all it’s attributes, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is virtually devoid of a plot, which is fair enough. However, to leave this movie wishing Tarantino had used the traditional method of acts, arcs, and structure would have in a way been the same as never having watched the movie at all. In retrospect, a plot would have done nothing but hamper a film whose primary aim was to be more or less solely experiential. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is about just that; a time. It is a free flowing picture of a shifting decade and the mood, feeling, vibe and energy that defined it.