Once Upon A Time....In Hollywood: Tarantino's Love Letter to 1960'S Hollywood
I sat in the Bruin Regency Theater in Westwood California on opening night. The film cut to a scene of Sharon Tate driving to Westwood to buy a book for her husband Roman Polanski. The audience sees her white boots walking on the street on the screen. All of a sudden she passes a familiar theater, the Bruin Regency Theater, and the crowd erupts in cheers and claps. The scene progress and she returns to the theater we are all sitting in ad buys a ticket to her own movie and enters a 1960's version of the theater we are watching the movie in. It was a surreal movie experience to watch Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood at that very location seen in the film.
Quentin Tarantino's ninth and final film Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood is driven by the nostalgia of Hollywood in the 1960s. It's guided around Tarantino's nostalgia for the classic age of Hollywood movies that are the basis of all his other films. This one is set at the end of the classic age of Hollywood movies, set in 1969, where film studios were facing hard financial times due to their struggle to keep up with the changing times of society and the event of the Manson Family Killings of Sharon Tate and her friends in her Cielo Drive home shared with husband Roman Polanski. The film is called Tarantino's most personal film and it is evident as it reveals more about him and his love of movies and Hollywood before it was taken over by franchises and the advancements of cinema.
The plot mainly centers on the declining career of a Western actor named Rick Dalton (Leonard DiCaprio) and his stunt double friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Rick is known for his TV Western series, Bounty Hunter, and has some big roles in some films that are referenced throughout the film. Rick has been appearing as a guest star on episodic television shows where he plays the bad guy and constantly loses the fight causing him to not be taken seriously as a leading man by audiences as pointed out by Marvin Schwarzs (Al Pacino). Rick's house is right next to the house of Sharon Tate ( Margot Robbie) and Roman Polanski who reignites Rick's dream of being in a Polanski movie. Cliff's backstory is very vague with audiences only knowing about a rumor of him killing his wife and that he lives in a trailer behind a drive-in movie theater. The film's format is constructed through three days in February 1969 with a time jump to August of the same year.
Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood showcases the star quality of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt that has been missing from the screen for the past 4 years. Each is able to deliver on their own and together giving memorable performances that audiences fall in love with and remind people of the phenomenal acting abilities of each icon. Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate pays homage to the actress before her death and accurately represents Tate. In her minimal screen time, Margot gives a memorable performance embracing everything that Sharon Tate was. We have seen this performance of Leo in his past films but Brad's stuntman brought a breath of fresh air and shows off his less serious side audiences haven't seen in a long time.
The film leads toward the gruesome murder of Sharon Tate and her friends but takes a turn when the murders of the Manson family show up to Rick's home and Brad Pitt delivers an amazing fight scene that showcases what Tarantino does best: violence. Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth is an easily likable character that reminds audiences why they love Brad Pitt as he gives off a classic movie star vibe throughout the film playing a stuntman. It is a comedic scene of watching the three intruders get their faces torn up by Brandy the dog and a high Cliff Booth.
Overall the film is a fun watch and it is evident Tarantino spent a lot of time getting his memories of Hollywood 1960s accurately right. From closing down Hollywood Boulevard to transform it to its 60's look, playing old ads from the time period and the wardrobe Tarantino achieves his tribute to 1960's Hollywood. It is not his best film but it was amazing to finally see DiCaprio and Pitt on the screen together with instant chemistry. The thought put into the film is very appreciated but at times it felt as if there was no real plot but that this was to get three superstars together and recreate Tarantino's childhood. The supporting characters of the film who were also big names brought their own performances to the movie but also felt unnecessary. The use of CGI to insert Rick into different old movies and shooting movies or TV shows within the movie were enjoyable to watch and made the film progress smoothly. I am surprised to see how this film does during awards season but if you are looking for a film to get you through the summer of dry blockbusters I highly recommend this one.