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Quentin Tarantino month: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

A review by Brooks Rich

Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, still amazing to me that one of the greatest American directors of all time has only made nine films, is his love letter to Hollywood of the late ‘60s. Tarantino always wears his influences on his sleeve, and also puts them on screen for all of us to see, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the film where his influences are the most apparent. The entire film is a reference to the movies, music, and television that Tarantino grew up loving as a child. It is also a love letter to the city he grew up in, immersing us in Los Angeles of 1969.

Leonardo DiCaprio is Rick Dalton, a former television star of the ‘50s who is now relegated to guest star spots as the villain on various television shows. Rick’s best friend is Cliff Booth, an amazing Brad Pitt, his former stuntman and now driver and gopher. Rick is having a crisis of faith as he is convinced his star is fading and is hesitant to accept an offer to star in westerns over in Italy. Meanwhile a group of hippie women are walking the streets of LA and a certain man named Charlie Manson stops by the house of Rick’s neighbor, director Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie. 

When I saw the first trailer for this film, I just kind of felt nothing. It did nothing for me, which was surprising as I love Tarantino’s work. Of course I was going to see a new Tarantino and boy am I glad I didn’t let the trailer cloud my judgement. This is easily the best film of 2019. Tarantino creates two of the most interesting film characters in years and DiCaprio and Pitt give some of the best performances of their careers. I’m not always a fan of DiCaprio, but to watch the former Hollywood heartthrob play an aging actor struggling with middle age is fascinating. But Brad Pitt steals the show as the completely likable Cliff Booth. He is fading from relevance along with Rick and there are hints of a dark past. Pitt is usually naturally likable but here he throws himself into the role of Booth. The scene with him and Bruce Lee is fantastic. Margot Robbie is fabulous as Sharon Tate. She portrays Tate as incredibly likable and sweet. There’s a great scene with her in a movie theater that shows how good Robbie is at acting with her face. She’s the future number one actress in Hollywood, no question. 

This is not the usual fare for Tarantino. Most of the violence takes place in clips from the shows and films that Rick has done and the only real scene of violence comes at the end. This is a character study of a fictional actor who is struggling through the transition of his career. The majority of the film’s narrative follows Rick’s current career and on the outskirts of the film are hints to the Manson murders. The film I would compare this the most to is Inglorious Basterds with a hint of Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown.

Not everyone is going to dig this film. This isn’t a narrative like people are used to. But if you let it work its magic and get itshooks into you, it’s a great ride...... A long ride though at two hours and forty-five minutes. Also, the soundtrack is the best in a long time. If you’re a classic rock fan, get this soundtrack and crank it up. 

I adore this film and can’t wait to watch it again. Right now it is my favorite film of 2019 and easily the best film I’ve seen all year. No, it is not better than Pulp Fiction, this film isn’t going to change the landscape of film like Pulp Fiction did, but honestly, I might put it as Tarantino’s second best. I expect there will be a backlash against it as there always is with Tarantino. But I love this and expect it will just get better each time I see it. 

Rating: 5/5


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