Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Kurt Russell, Al Pacino
Primary genre: Comedy
Secondary genre: Drama
Nominated for: Best director, picture, production design, actor, supporting actor, original screenplay, cinematography, costume design, sound editing, sound mixing
Won: Best supporting actor, production design
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Quentin Tarantino always puts his own spin into a CGI Disneyfied cinema that has failed to deliver any actual memorable stories or thrills. With a fantastic cast at his disposal, he seeks to conjure a Hollywood fairytale around the infamous Manson murders that saw actress Sharon Tate brutally murdered (among others).
Following a similar pattern of revising well known historical events (e.g., "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)), he blends in his lengthy (and sometimes too verbose) script interactions between real and fictional personalities with gusto. Those expecting a typical Tarantinian plot might be disappointed as “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is probably his most accessible (and comedic) film to date. At its core, a bromance between fading TV star Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth that hangs together with the tiniest of plot threads, is an indulgent framing device that offers Tarantino the opportunity to pay homage to the 60’s Hollywood by glamourizing movies, commercials, westerns, producers, actors and more with incredible production design (by Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh) which won rightfully the Academy award and the ultimate groovy soundtrack.
Despite a worthy (and unexpected) pay off in the end, the majority of the film contains isolated sequences that bear no weight or stakes; an off-putting element for those who are used to the previous and heavy plot driven flicks of the pop culture aficionado filmmaker. For all its visual panache and idolizing nostalgia, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” does not have the intense action of “Kill Bill” (2003-2004), the mesmerizing dialogue of “Pulp Fiction” (1994) or larger than life characters like Hans Landa, Stuntman Mike or Django to keep our interest up.
Feeling like a greatest hits compilation, Tarantino attempts to load too many elements in his boat: his trademark dialogue, the Manson murders, the 60's Hollywood, Sharon Tate's life, DiCaprio's and Pitt's characters, the invasion of hippies in Los Angeles (in contrast with the glamorous lifestyle the city is famous for) and his obsessive love with movies. It is natural that some of these ideas get lost in an orgy of cinemaphilia that gets (admirably) displayed in every frame but the most cynical moviegoers will wonder whether there is anything more here to experience. Yet a palpable sense of auterism is evident behind “Hollywood“ and despite any obvious shortcomings, Tarantino’s effort to recreate that golden era demands respect.
The cast is in top form too; as expected they are having a blast delivering authentic Tarantinian pieces of dialogue. Leonardo DiCaprio (in his second collaboration with Tarantino), injects interesting shades of pity and comedy in his character generating copious amounts of laughter in a particularly well executed and improvising losing-his-shit scene. However, it is Brad Pitt who steals the show. Displaying a surprising amount of stoicism and capability for brutal violence, a trait that we rarely see on his characters (Bill and Mr Blonde come to mind), Cliff wholeheartedly supports and endorses his friend (and boss) giving the film an interesting core of friendship that is scattered throughout the film’s lengthy running time. His laconic responses are in direct contrast with his brutal nature personifying a man who digs the vibe of the hippie era but ultimately fails to accept its indulgences. Even Tarantino confirms his newly found love for this stunt double by devoting an entire segment at the Spahn Ranch (temporary home of the Manson “family”) and raising the dramatic stakes in a surprisingly tense scene, affirming the filmmaker’s status of creating tension with the flimsiest of excuses.
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is exactly what its title suggests. Perhaps Tarantino's most self-indulgent flick, it is a massive love letter to a fascinating era. A surprisingly climatic pay off, a phenomenal production design and award worthy performances make up for the lack of a solid story that its main goal it seems it to place the audience in a magical 60’s Hollywood.
A cinema love letter by its most profound supporter
+Cast
+Especially Brad Pitt
+Groovy soundtrack
+Incredible production design
+Admirable love letter for 60’s Hollywood
+Excellent comic bits
+Final pay off
-Not enough Tarantinian dialogue
-…or memorable quotes
-Very long
-Loose plot