Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (Quentin Tarantino) There is an easygoing nature to the way the story unfolds over the course of its first two hours (total run time 2hr 39min) before leading up to the hot, fateful night in August 1969. This is Tarantino’s love letter to the Los Angeles of his childhood and the industry that he embodies.

The movie is mostly atmospheric, full of reconstructed nostalgia, like old TV shows, Manix and FBI which were the appointment TV of the time. If these had been the TV shows I grew up with, I would NEVER have become a TV junky; they looked horribly boring and gritty. Then there’s his other obsessions sprinkled throughout like obscure songs from the era (Paul Revere & the Raiders) to drive-ins, muscle cars, Spaghetti Westerns, and of course, female sexy bare feet. I particularly liked the visuals of a sequence of famous Los Angeles landmarks turning on their lights as the sun goes down.

Second to recreating a time period is the story of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), who starred in some beloved action films and a black-and-white TV Western series called “Bounty Law” in the late ’50s and early ’60s. However, we meet him at a time when his career has hit the skids (DiCaprio imbues his character with a well-timed stutter). Rick represents what every actor who’s ever made it fears, going from A-List to C-List or worse – obscurity. He left his hit show before it was cancelled thinking he could transition into film, like Steve McQueen, but it didn’t work out, and now he’s drinking too much and is always close to tears. One such brilliant instance is a scene taking place on the set of some other awful looking western TV series where he plays a villain – in between takes he converses with a wise-beyond-her-years 8-year-old co-star (Julia Butters) who’s all method acting, and yet compassionate towards her fragile, much older co-star. Can’t wait to see more of this young Butters, who for GOT fans, gives Lady Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsey) a run for her money.

Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) Rick’s longtime stunt double has become his gofer, driver and best pal. He’s a mix between a middle-aged Redford and Malibu Ken doll, all quiet swagger. The rumor is that he killed his wife and got away with it. I like knowing this as a backstory to his character and it keeps you on edge as to what he may or may not do as the film’s tension grows; but I don’t think the flashback to a scene on a boat with that shrewish wife is necessary.

Rick is neighbors to newlyweds Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha) the neighbors are aware of each other’s existence, but their stories are not connected until the end. I really never knew much about Sharon Tate except the obvious, so the threesome relationship described by Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis) at a Playboy Mansion party between Tate, Polanski and her ex-boyfriend hairstylist to the stars Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch) was fascinating news to me. Robbie’s scenes are sparse, like spontaneously going to see the movie “The Wrecking Crew”, which she stars in alongside an aging Dean Martin. Notably, Tarantino opts to show the actual footage of Tate instead of digitally adding Robbie, I think as an homage to Sharon Tate’s memory.

For the most part, I truly enjoyed being immersed in Tarantino’s recreation of a time gone by and his seamless mix of actual history with fiction. His 9th film won’t rank as my favorite (which I think like most people remains “Pulp Fiction”) but Once Upon A Time, once again shows Tarantino to be a true auteur. By now I think the twist is mostly out of the bag, that like Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” & “Django Unchained” he went for a re-imagining of the events which gives the audience a much more satisfying way to combat “the Devil shit” that really went down in the Hollywood hills which forever changed the idea of 60’s counterculture.

Tinsel & Tine the Large Association of Movie Blogs (aka the LAMb) rating: 4 outta 5