Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019)

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino

Starring:

Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton

Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth

Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate

Emile Hirsch as Jay Sebring

Margaret Qualley as Pussycat

Rated R for language throughout, some strong graphic violence, drug use, and sexual references

Runtime: 161 minutes

Quentin Tarantino’s movies are made to be remembered. He hasn’t made a bad picture yet and after seeing Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, his track record remains perfect. This picture reflects 1960s Hollywood beautifully and sparks some feelings of nostalgia for those who lived in that era. The production designers did a remarkable job transporting the viewers back in time. Unfortunately, I think the illusion enthralled Tarantino so thoroughly that he spent a little too much time focusing on “look, it’s the ‘60s,” and not enough time on the plot. When Tarantino directs a film, though, he doesn’t skimp on what speaks to him.

Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012) was around the same length as this one, yet I thought that film was too long. Django wasn’t short on violence – it almost seemed to overemphasize the gore deliberately to prolong the movie. Oddly enough, his next picture, The Hateful Eight (2015), was over three hours long and I felt it had perfect pacing.

I appreciate Tarantino for making a film that didn’t rely too heavily on violence. Usually, his movies are violent from start to finish, but he saved it for a few scenes where it was fitting this time. Those of you who lived in the 1960s, or studied it,  are aware of the Charles Manson murders in the summer of 1969. Not to spoil anything, but that timeline coincides with Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. This sets the stage for some violent content.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, a television actor with a few feature films under his belt. He starts to feel like a bit of a “has-been,” as the lucrative job offers stop coming his way. Brad Pitt is Cliff Booth, Rick’s longtime friend and stunt double. Cliff also acts as Rick’s assistant, since Rick’s recent jobs haven’t called for any stunt work. When they’re not working, the two hit the streets of Los Angeles and explore the town, wondering if their glory days are behind them

I loved the scenes with DiCaprio and Pitt. They played off each other so well and I would love to see them in another film together. I remember reading that Tarantino had a few different pairings in mind when he wrote the screenplay. I’m just glad that he landed these two actors.

The film is divided into three acts. The introduction to the world of 1960s Hollywood was excellent, but possibly a little too thorough. I could have done without the numerous references to pop culture and brand names – I got the point after the first five minutes. Eventually, though, the film moves forward, and it never stalls.

The second act mainly consists of a single day in the lives of these characters. Rick reluctantly takes a guest role in the western TV series Lancer. His feelings of insecurity are apparent before shooting his scenes. However, he puts them behind him after having a philosophical discussion with a child actor (played wonderfully by Julia Butters, from TV’s American Housewife).

Cliff runs a few errands for Rick on a day off. He picks up a hitchhiker named Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) and the two drive off to her home at Spahn Ranch. Cliff has memories of the ranch because that’s where he and Rick worked on the popular TV show Bounty Law, which is Rick’s most notable work. Cliff hopes to reminisce about his glory days upon arrival but finds that the ranch is a rundown property that has become home to a hippie commune. I thought this was the best scene in the movie, as it was well-paced and suspenseful.

The film also focuses on Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who was one of the victims of the Manson murders. As much as I loved her personality and seeing her onscreen, Sharon wasn’t crucial to the plot. I think Tarantino made her a primary character to show the world how wonderful Sharon Tate was as a person. If that was the case, I can’t argue with his way of celebrating her memory.

By the third act, I was eager to see how the film would finish. Again, without spoiling anything, it had an exciting ending that blew me away. It was like watching a long, entertaining fuse leading to a thrilling explosion.

Despite the film being a tad long, I found myself wanting to know more about Cliff’s character. Perhaps Tarantino wanted ambiguity to be his defining feature. Cliff is one of Brad Pitt’s best performances – right up there with Fight Club (1999).

Tarantino is obviously a child of the ‘60s, and I think he made this film as a heartfelt tribute to that era. In a sense, the film’s setting fifty years in the past, at the end of an era, describes our current movie culture. I feel that there’s hardly any originality in motion pictures anymore. The industry thrives on making and remaking the same pictures ad nauseam. I admire directors like Tarantino, who take more time in between films to come up with original ideas.

Once Upon a Time In Hollywood is a film that doesn’t let you know where it will take you, and I loved that. The trailers made it clear that there was no plot to drive the story, and that it was character- and reference-driven instead. I only knew it would be about players in the film industry, and it would be as exciting as Sunset Boulevard (1950) and The Player (1992).

3.5/4 stars.