ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019)
MOVIE REVIEW
WARNING: This review contains spoilers and f*** language. You've been warned.
As I walked in on my second cinematic viewing of renowned provocateur and foot-fetishist Quentin Tarantino's ninth film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood I started to feel a great sense of joy and excitment. First of all, this is the first time I watch a movie more than once in a theatre (because going to the movies is fucking expensive okay?!), I'll be rewatching a new film from one of my favorite film directors, and most of all, I watched it with my dad so it would be nice to see his reaction to the movie. My dad liked the movie alot (he even played the soundtrack as he was cleaning the house the next morning) and I actually liked it slightly more this viewing. However, as the days have gone by, I've been struck by a sense of bittersweetness whenever thinking about this movie, and the feeling that this might actually be one of Tarantino's very best and perhaps his most emotional films. But I'll elaborate more on that through the course of this review, so hold on to your butts because where we're going we don't need roads! (if you don't get that reference I can't help you, sorry!)
So I'm sure most people know the story of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is about at this point, but because I'm such a generous and kind soul (I'm really not, but we'll just pretend that I am), I'll give you a little synopsis of the plot. The film is set in the year 1969, when the old movie moguls were on the way out and the young movie brats were on the way in. Fading television actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double/helper/driver//zen master/best friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) are both trying to keep their careers alive. Meanwhile, Rick's next-door neighbor is the real-life Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who is at the start of a promising film career together with her husband Roman Polanski, the hottest director in town thanks to Rosemary's Baby. Meanwhile, spread throughout the film is the ever-present threat of the Manson Family. All of these storylines will intertwine in one of the most satisfying climaxes in all of Tarantino's films.
From left to right: Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth and Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton.
Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate.
The story goes that Tarantino had been working on several core elements that would ultimately end up as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as early as Death Proof (2007), but it wasn't officially announced to be Tarantino's next film until 2017. At that point, it was set up at The Weinstein Company run by Bob and Harvey Weinstein (whom had produced all of Tarantino's previous films). However, after the mountains of sexual abuse allegations that surfaced against Harvey, Tarantino split ways with the brothers and shopped his movie around the studios in Hollywood. To give credit were its due, all the studios were really anxious to bankroll the new Tarantino film, despite the fact that he demanded total creative freedom, a hefty $100 million budget and a stipulation that the rights to the movie would revert to him after 10 years. As strange as this may sound in contemporary corporate Hollywood, it makes sense. He's a brand, and his movies are almost guaranteed to be commercial and/or critical successes and awards favorites, so he's a safe bet. Tarantino recruited Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt for the two central leads, both of whom had worked with Tarantino on Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds respectively. Besides them, he assembled a cast that most directors would kill for: Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Bruce Dern, Damien Lewis, Emile Hirsch, Austin Butler, Michael Madsen, Dakota Fanning, Mike Moh and even Maya Hawke (Uma Thurman's and Ethan Hawke's daughter) in a small role as one of the Manson girls.
Quentin Tarantino (right) during shooting of a dialogue scene between Rick and Cliff.
In many ways, this movie feels like the culmination of Tarantino's career, or at least in his career so far. The film functions like a wonderful combination of his sprawling and dialogue-driven films like Pulp Fiction and the more action-packed and the mixing of factual history with alternate history in films like Inglourious Basterds. It's a combination made in heaven and absolutely benefits the movie. Most of the movie is purely character-driven and doesn't involve too much action, but that's no problem for me. In fact, I could probably have watched an entire movie just about Rick and Cliff's adventures throughout Hollywood in the sixties, or an entire movie with Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate. Most of these scenes don't really serve any narrative purpose, and I can understand why some people will refer to this movie as boring or self-indulgent, but I don't see it that way. I don't think Tarantino is interested in telling a conventional story. He mostly wants to highlight these characters he clearly love and recreate the Hollywood of 1969. And you know what, not all movies benefit from a tight narrative. Certain movies, like this one, actually benefit from a more loose narrative in my opinion, because I think it's allowing the story to tell itself in its own manner. And I would also make the argument that this might be Tarantino's great strenght as a filmmaker, his ability to make rather mundane and mostly dialogue-driven scenes engaging and entertaining to watch.
Lots of scenes of people driving cars in this movie, and yet its incredibly satisfying.
And speaking of characters and actors, all the performances are great per usual in a Tarantino movie. Tarantino wasn't kidding when he called DiCaprio and Pitt the greatest screen duo since Paul Newman and Robert Redford, because their chemistry is really something else. You really get the sense that they have known each other for a long time, and in a way rely on each other perhaps a little more than they think they do. They're also very funny, both together and separately. DiCaprio gives the impression of this slightly full-of-himself-but-somewhat-tragic actor who wants to make some actual achievements and questions his role in the film industry and indeed in life. Cliff is a very whatever-type character. He just rolls with everything, and even says to Rick that he doesn't mind cleaning Rick's house or driving his car. He's absolutely fine with working for Rick because Rick gives Cliff a purpose in his life. And as Kurt Russell's voice-over explains, they're a little more than brothers and a little less than a married couple. Another terrific player in this movie is Margot Robbie, who is absolutely brilliant as Sharon Tate. Although I kind of wish there had been more scenes with her, I think she steals every scene she's in. Despite having a minimal amount of dialogue, she still manages to gives you the sense of Sharon being this utterly innocent and playful force of infectious joy, which makes her real-life fate even more tragic. And perhaps more people will look into Sharon Tate and make more people aware of her life before her notorious death.
Rick fuckin' Dalton!
The attention to period detail is also extraordinary in this film. The film cost a reported $100 million, and every penny is up on the screen but not in a way that it becomes distracting or overtakes the movie. Tarantino doesn't shove the period details in your face like some filmmakers might, they're mostly in the background and help make the world and the characters feel alive. The terrific soundtrack also helps the period come alive, and Tarantino doesn't opt for the obvious songs from the period, but instead goes for a more eclectic soundtrack featuring everyone from Deep Purple, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Diamond and the Rolling Stones. And like I mentioned earlier, my dad listened to the soundtrack whilst he was cleaning the house, so I'm not alone in loving the soundtrack.
Sharon Tate dancing at the Playboy Mansion.
I also mentioned the fact that I started feeling bittersweet when thinking about this movie, and I can basically pin most of it down to what I will refer to as the "Out of Time" montage that sort-of serves as the start of the third act. The reason why is is sweet is first of all because it's very well done and builds up the climax, but here's what makes it bittersweet for me: We learn that Rick's and Cliff's journey together will come to and end and they will say farewell, and it all takes place on August 8, the day of Sharon Tate's real-life murder (although it was technically August 9 but you get my point). She is eight months pregnant at this point, and seeing her show her girlfriends the babyroom combined with the knowledge of her murder and the use of the Rolling Stones' Out of Time just make me so sad thinking about it and just makes me wish Sharon could've lived. This truly feels like the end of an era, and what was in real life a very tragic end to an era. It's the end of Rick's and Cliff's relationship and what the movie wants you to think will be Sharon's last day alive. And actually, if this movie had been announced as Tarantino's final film, then I would probably feel even more bittersweet about it.
Tarantino directing Robbie for the scene were Sharon Tate goes to see her own movie, which is one of the highlights of the movie.
All right, so I'm gonna make a statement and explain it as I go on about my general feeling about this movie: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Tarantino's most life-affirming movie. I know that's a very strange sentence to read as indeed it is to write, but hear me out. So much of the entertainment in this movie comes from just watching these characters in their life doing everyday things, such as Cliff fixing Rick's antenna, Sharon packing and doing errands, Rick and Cliff watching television together, etc. These moments may seem insignificant, but these are crucial to understand who these characters are and to appreciate and like them as people and human beings. And that is why the ending is so brilliant, because the Manson Family members are there to take away the life of first Sharon Tate and whoever's in the house, and later to Rick, Cliff and Rick's new Italian wife. Therefore, seeing them get murdered in horrific and brutal ways is a perfect celebration of life, albeit a little twisted. And him making this movie right after The Hateful Eight, arguably his most nihilistic movie, it's actually kind of the perfect time for Tarantino in his career to make this particular film.
Rick and Cliff.
Can I also just say that experiencing the ending with an audience was the thing that made it worth seeing this movie twice in the theatre. All the laughs and also shocks that everyone exclaims when the Manson Family members get brutally, and I mean brutally, murdered was so fantastic and made it even more enjoyable for me. But the icing on the fucking cake has got to be the moment when Rick brings forth his flamethrower from his World War II-action movie The Fourteen Fists of McCluskey (which is established very early in the film). The first time I was the film I was howling with laughter, and the second time as I experienced it with a mostly unknowing audience (including my dad) made it even better. And when we got to the moment Rick brought forth the flamethrower on that second viewing, I legitiamtely clapped, and I am in no way, shape or form ashamed of it.
Fan-made poster made by someone who isn't me.
So, to conclude this review, I think Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood is a masterpiece and, to use critic Robbie Collin's phrase, "late-career masterpiece" fits the bill perfectly. I love the characters, the filmmaking and find the ending so satisfying and respectful of the real-life Sharon Tate, and through subsequent viewings I can see this movie competing with Inglourious Basterds as my favorite Tarantino movie. This is also a great hangout movie, so bring some friends over and do what Rick and Cliff do when they decide to watch their episode of FBI: get a six-pack of beer, order some pizza, and maybe even smoke an acid-laced cigarette or two and maybe mix a frozen margarita. You'll probably end up having a great time.
PS: can I just say that I'd like to live in Tarantino's alternate history universe? I mean, c'mon! World War II ends when Hitler gets blowed up in a movie theatre, white slavers are brutally murdered by rebellious slaves and the Manson Family get defeated and innocent people are allowed to live. What's not to love?!
