Once Upon a Time in Hollywood review

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD:

TARANTINO’S 9^THFILM LIGHTS UP THE STREETS OF L.A. WITH HIS TRADEMARK FLAIR!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

            Director Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, The Hateful Eight) brings his stylized violence and dark humor to the streets of 1960s Los Angeles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the ninth film in his directing career and first without the involvement of Bob and Harvey Weinstein. In comes Sony, which had previously co-produced Tarantino’s 2012 western film Django Unchained and won the rights to his new film based on the infamous murders caused by the Manson Family in 1969. 

            Given that I’m a huge fan of Tarantino’s work, I was excited for this movie the moment it was announced and with the talents of Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Revenant) and Brad Pitt (Burn After Reading, Inglourious Basterds, Moneyball) in the lead roles, how could I miss it? After seeing the movie, I can gladly say that not only does Tarantino successfully bring the story to the screen but also a love letter to cinema and filmmaking. 

            From the overall production design to various references and homages to films made during that era. Add in some Tarantino brutality and dark humor and you got one hell of a time in Hollywood indeed. 

            Set in 1969 Los Angeles, the film follows former western TV star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) whose careers have been plummeting in recent years due to Dalton’s ongoing alcoholism issues thus making it difficult for them to get work in a new era of Hollywood they no longer recognize. However, unbeknownst to Rick is that a very famous celebrity lives right next door to him, acclaimed actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie-The Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad, I, Tonya) who is married to director Roman Polanski. 

            After his recent performance on a show called Lancer earned praise from audiences, casting agent Marvin Schwarzs (Al Pacino-The Godfather trilogy, Scarface, Scent of a Woman) offers Dalton a chance to shoot a Spaghetti Western and flies him and Booth out to Rome for six months where they make several films. But, after an encounter with some very strange women on a ranch, Rick and Cliff soon realize something terrible is about to go down in their neighborhood.

            The film also stars Emile Hirsch (The Girl Next Door, Into the Wild, Milk) as Jay Sebring, Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers, The Nice Guys, Death Note (2017)) as Pussycat, Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard, Justified) as James Stacy, Austin Butler (Switched at Birth, The Carrie Diaries,The Shannara Chronicles) as Tex Watson, Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam, War of the Worlds (2005), Coraline) as Squeaky, Bruce Dern (Coming Home, Nebraska, The Hateful Eight) as George Spahn, and Kurt Russell (Tombstone, Death Proof, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2) as Randy. 

            Overall, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood captures both the glamour and harshness of 1960s L.A. while subtly applying the Manson Family murders into the narrative in a way that only Tarantino can successfully bring it to the screen. Anyone else would probably just make the Manson Family the main focus of the movie but knowing Tarantino’s directing style it is only part of a larger collection of stories happening all at the same time (Pulp Fiction anyone?) which makes it almost like a twist, granted I already knew it was coming after reading about the film’s announcement but I had no idea HOW Tarantino was going to use it.

            However, if you’re expecting a Quentin Tarantino bloodbath like some of his other films you might not get what you’re looking for. Oh, don’t get me wrong there is still plenty of Tarantino insanity here, but this is a more relaxed and easy-going film in his career and most of his stylized violence isn’t until the very end which I am perfectly fine with.

            The pacing is a little slow at times I will admit it but there is never a dull moment despite the lack of Tarantino violence. All throughout the film I was invested in the characters, dazzled by the production design (It really looks like you’ve been transported back in time to the 60s), and was laughing all the way through. 

            DiCaprio and Pitt’s performances are where the film shines and they both have their moments of uproarious laughs. You got Leo as a washed-up former Western star who’s desperately trying to succeed in the entertainment business but his alcoholism gets the best of him turning a once-dignified actor into a whiny loser with a temper who I can best describe as the male equivalent of Jennifer Jason Leigh from The Hateful Eight, just about anything that comes out of his mouth got a huge laugh out of me. 

            Meanwhile, Brad Pitt as his slightly absent-minded but still very supportive stunt double who’s a bit of a ladies’ man. Pretty much the polar opposite of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character nevertheless Pitt has plenty of standout moments most notably getting into a fist-fight against a stand-in for Bruce Lee. 

            Once Upon a Time in Hollywood offers a (slightly) more mature outing with Quentin Tarantino while still offering his violent zaniness and humor whenever necessary. It’s a worthy film in his directing filmography and a loving tribute to 1960s Hollywood and filmmaking that whether a Tarantino enthusiast or a casual movie-goer is something I strongly encourage you all to see, you won’t regret it.