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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Quentin Tarantino is back again with his ninth film, “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.” This time, Tarantino wanted a modern fairy tale tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age. If some of you don’t know about the Golden Age, it was a period in American filmmaking when the five major studios dominated the production of major motion pictures. The golden age saw the rise of such stars as Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, and Rita Hayworth. Even though some really don’t know when the golden age began or ended, some state that it started in the late 1910s and ended in the early 1960s.
During the end of 1969, Hollywood was rocked to its core and foundation by the Tate murders. The Tate murders were a shocking and grisly murders of actress Sharon Tate and four other people by followers of cult leader Charles Manson on the night of August 8–9, 1969, in Los Angeles. Two more people were killed the next day. In 1971, Manson and four of his followers were convicted of all the murders.
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is set in 1969 Los Angeles. The film follows a fading actor and his best friend, who is a stunt double. They navigate through the changing landscape of the film industry with the looming threat of the Tate murders. Hollywood actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) was the star of the 1950s T.V. Western series Bounty Law. Dalton’s star has tremendously faded through the years as his recent roles were guest appearances as villains. Dalton has difficulty with this realization and believes he still has a place in the film industry. During a meeting with his agent Marvin Schwarz (Pacino), he is advised to make Spaghetti Westerns in Italy, but Dalton considers this beneath him. Sensing that the end may be near, Rick and his confidant and former stunt double, Cliff Booth (Pitt), face the grim possibility of living a boring life in Los Angeles. Dalton and Cliff notice that his glamorous next-door neighbors, Roman Polanski (Zawierucha), the young director fresh off the triumphant success of Rosemary’s Baby, and rising star of The Wrecking Crew (1968), Sharon Tate (Robbie), are the new hotshots in the industry. As each one lives as best they can, none of them have the slightest clue that their fates are on a collision course with the crazy Charles Manson and his army of ferociously zealous believers. Will Hollywood be the same in this zany tale after August 9, 1969?
The story is fascinating as it brings together two main stories. One is a fading movie star, and the other is a new and fantasy version of the Tate murders. Believe me, when I first read about this, I really wasn’t interested in the Tate murders part because it was VIOLENT. Being a Tarantino film, you didn’t know what to expect. The first storyline is hilarious as we see what stars most likely go through during the decline years. Having a character like Rick Dalton is superb. A hot shot which now does many variety acting roles to stay relevant but also doesn’t believe his star is fading until he talks to his agent. Watching Dalton doing villain roles is some of the best acting I have ever seen. With Dalton, there is Cliff, who has a rumor that he killed his wife. Even though the scene doesn’t show him doing it, it’s hard not to believe he didn’t. Cliff is fantastic as he is chill, has this amazing-looking dog, and fights Bruce Lee. The second arc is Dalton’s next-door neighbors, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. It was something to see Tate go through life as she sat in a theater to watch her movie and was full of life.
The stories are connected as Cliff has interactions with the Manson family. It is crazy to see all the members on the farm, but Cliff beats the absolute shit of one of them. I must give it to Tarantino; to have that as a connecter takes balls, but we know that Tarantino has major balls when doing stuff, which is what I appreciate about him. Some of the scenes with the family are a tad bit creepy, and the only appearance by Manson is equally creepy.
The final scene is one of the best that I have seen in a while. The whole build-up to the situation was so well done that it kept you entertained. The narrator describes what the three main characters are doing. When the moment approaches, Dalton yells at the murders because they are in his neighborhood. The murderers decide to kill him instead. The fight scene between Manson’s family and Cliff is priceless. The dog goes wild, and Cliff whips everyone’s ass. When Dalton gets involved, the flamethrower comes out to play.
The cast is top-notch in this film. With any Tarantino film, he seems to employ everyone and anyone. The thing about this film is that all the stars play a star from the past. We have Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Sam Wanamaker, and many others. Then you have all the Manson family members. Once again, it is a huge ass cast.
With the cast, the main characters are the ones to watch. Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton is hilarious but also spot on. I love how he slowly loses it as he thinks his star is fading. Also, he became a meme which is also great. Dalton is a man full of himself but also a man who doesn’t want to be lost in the crowd. He is very hard on himself when he messes up, which is funny to watch.
Even though he won the Academy Award for this role, Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth was meh when I first saw this film in theaters. Then I watched it again, and my opinion rose slightly but not too much. I think it’s because he didn’t say that much. When I think about it, he was the best supporting person to DiCaprio’s character. He was calm and quiet, but dude knew how to whip so much ass.
Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate was so cute and fun to watch. Even though she played the third fiddle in this film, her smile lit up the world and this film. There were times I wanted to see more of Robbie but thought that the amount of time she was in the movie was just right. You got enough of her to show that Sharon Tate was a beautiful soul.
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is a fun and entertaining Tarantino film. You will have a great time watching this film. You would think having the connector be a little off-putting, but it works. DiCaprio, Pitt, and Robbie all do a great job in their respective roles. Watch this film and then come out to L.A. to see what Hollywood is all about.
