Rating of
3.5/4
Tarantino's Gorgeous Golden Age Love Letter
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/18/19
Quentin Tarantino has said that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is his opus and I can see why he would say that. Both alike and unlike any of his previous films, Hollywood stands on its own. It still has that dialogue you expect, a killer soundtrack that fits the mood and memorable characters. It also has that stylized violence that is so Tarantino - though it only makes an appearance at the very end. Tarantino also knows how to make the most out of casting, as the leads and cameo appearance alike are excellent and makes a case that Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio should really work together more often.
While many people may argue that the "Golden Age" of Hollywood ended with Singin' In the Rain - Tarantino's Golden Age takes place at the tail-end of the 60s. DiCaprio plays a TV star, Rick Dalton, who made a name for himself in the 50s with the aptly-named Bounty Law before abruptly ending its run to focus on movies. But that didn't work out and now Dalton is forced to make one-off appearances as the "heavy" (aka the bad guy) for every show out there - and his agent (a scene-stealing Al Pacino in one of the many great casting choices) Marvin Schwarz is convinced that he would be better off leaving America behind to make some Spaghetti Westerns in Italy.
But Dalton isn't alone, his long-time stuntman Cliff Booth (Pitt) not only takes the hits for him on film, he also acts as his driver, his handyman, drinking buddy - even though their worlds are far removed from each other. While Dalton has a fancy house on Cielo Drive, Booth lives in a trailer behind a drive-in, with his dog as his only companion. A subplot reveals that Booth once had a wife, but she died under somewhat murky circumstances on a boat - leading many to believe that Booth got away with murder. But while Dalton is dealing with a waning career his neighbors are Hollywood elite. That would be director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and his new wife Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) who party at the Playboy Mansion while dealing with the fame.
The film also revolves around the Manson Family - as Booth finds himself taking a young girl, Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) up to the Spahn Movie Ranch, where he once filmed, and encounters the cult group. This includes Sqeaky Fromme (Dakota Fanning) who reluctantly lets him talk to ranch owner George Spahn (another great cameo from Bruce Dern), a blind, aged man who is only somewhat aware of what his home has been turned into. Despite warnings and altercations, Booth leaves alive - having never run into the group's leader, Charlie Manson (Damon Herriman).
All these threads are interconnected and, much like his breakout film Pulp Fiction, we get to follow these threads. There is a lot to like here, from Dalton's interaction with the wise-beyond-her-years young actress on the set of Lancer named Trudi (Transparent star Julia Butters) to Robbie dancing to Paul Revere and Raiders and checking out audience reaction to her film The Wrecking Crew, to a shirtless Pitt working on a TV antenna. From the big picture to the little touches, Tarantion delivers a knockout. And it's not just the acting, but the look - from the vehicles to the advertisements, movie posters and clothing to the restaurant signs - it absolutely does perfect in capturing this time period.
The complaints are few and far between for me. The film seems to be following a distinct historical pattern, right up to the end, where it pulls and Inglourious Basterds and flips the script to an alternate history. Not that it makes it bad, just different. If anything, I wish they would have expanded some of the characters, especially some of the Manson angle as I felt that entire plot wasn't given more of a focus - especially with Fanning on board. But the fact Tarantino was able to pack so many big names into one film is testament to his talent and the film is both a lot of fun and delivers a lot of drama.
If Tarantino is winding down his career, certainly Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a great film to wrap things up. It may not be his final film, but I think it will be one of his best.
