At one point in the classic 70s comedy “Annie Hall” the eternally
neurotic Woody Allen character Alvy Singer notes that one of the
reasons he hates Los Angeles is because of “ritual religious-cult
murders.” Fifty years after the Manson “family” committed
several horrific, notorious murders and other crimes, the country is still obsessed with
those terrible crimes. And in a way, so is Quentin Tarantino. But he wasn't interested in making a traditional movie about the Manson
murders. Tarantino has made a fairy tale set in 1969 Hollywood
that’s an ode to changing times in America that fuses
real life characters and events with fictional characters in a
tribute to Hollywood that is truly the pinnacle of his
decades-long career. “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood” is a
fascinating mix of drama, comedy, crime, and nostalgia that is
completely compelling and brims with tension for its thoroughly well-paced runtime. The film is
truly a masterpiece which is saying something considering there aren't many duds in his filmography.
It seems that every
time Quentin Tarantino releases a film it’s his new classic. “Once
Upon a Time… in Hollywood” is his new classic. There I said it.
Tarantino is the ultimate film nerd. He could wipe the floor with
anyone would try to challenge him. And he really proves it in his
latest film which is a gorgeous ode to Hollywood and movies. It truly
feels as if all the roads he’s traveled down has been leading up to
this brilliant piece of work. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an
actor named Rick Dalton, who is famous for staring in a TV western
but his stardom is quickly fading. His former stunt man and friend
Cliff (Brad Pitt) works as his personal driver. The two are great
friends and are actually very reliant on each other, more so than
they truly realize. Rick lives next door to filmmaker Roman Polanski
and his wife Sharon Tate and he dreams of meeting them one day in the
hopes of reigniting his career.
The film follows Rick as he tries to
jump-start his career by taking bit parts in shows while refusing to
an offer to star in some Spaghetti Westerns in Italy from his agent
Marvin Schwartz (Al Pacino). Meanwhile, we get to see Cliff’s
rather mundane life as he drives around alone and spends time in his
trailer with his well-trained pitbull Brandy. He picks up a hippie
girl who’s hitchhiking and ends up at a deserted movie ranch where
the Manson family lives. And as the film progresses we get to see
what rising movie star Sharon Tate is up to. She spends an afternoon
at a movie theater watching her own film completely compelled by the
magic of watching herself onscreen.
The film not only
functions as a character piece about the trials and tribulations of a
fading TV actor and his best friend, but also as a document of the
end of the 1960s and and the introduction of the harsh reality of the
1970s. At someone who wasn’t yet alive, the film feels pretty
authentic; everything from the costumes, to the set design, to the
cinematography (by longtime Tarantino collaborator Robert Richardson)
everything here just looks right. And you can really see how
much Tarantino has grown as a screenwriter, director and as a
storyteller. Even if the narrative isn’t always “normal” it’s
arguably his most sophisticated film. There’s no need for chapter
titles or any of that gimmicky stuff, but all the other trademark
Tarantinoisms are there. Lots of dialogue-driven scenes, fun twists in the narrative, mentions of
obscure movies you’ve never heard of, a soundtrack filled with
equally obscure and familiar tunes, humor in places you’re not
expecting, and of course spouts of graphic violence that are…. well
the less spoiled about that the better.
“Once Upon a Time…
in Hollywood” is a movie for people who love and appreciate movies.
But it’s also so much more. Tarantino isn’t new to revising
historical events in his films (ie Inglorious Basterds) so it may not
take a genius to figure out that things don’t necessarily play out
very historically accurate here and that’s all for the better. The
film is a wild ride and a glorious genre-bending piece of celluloid
that will be remembered for years to come; it features fantastic
performances from its very famous and charming leads (not to mention
a laundry list of celebrity bit parts and cameos) and one of the most
memorable and whacked out final acts I’ve seen in quite some time.
As the title suggests it’s really a Tarantino fairy tale and it
just may be the most Tarantinoy film that ever Tarantinoed. GRADE: A
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