Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood
(A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood' is writer/director Quentin Tarantino's love letter to old Hollywood and, much like he did with Inglourious Basterds {gleefully revising history by extinguishing high ranking Nazis in one fell swoop} ... he plays with history again here regarding Charles Manson & the grisly Sharon Tate murder on 8/9/1969. But mostly, this film tells the fictional tale of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a hard-drinking, fading TV cowboy who, after consulting with a producer (Al Pacino), must decide whether to continue playing heavies in TV pilots or go make Spaghetti Westerns in Rome. Helping him get by is his faithful stunt double/BFF, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), who spends his time as the actor's driver, handyman & therapist.
Living in the Hollywood hills, Rick's dream is to meet his next-door neighbor, Roman Polanski, who recently married rising actress, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), and maybe end up in one of his upcoming films {Polanski just released Rosemary's Baby}. History dictates what happens to Sharon Tate in the summer of '69. So it's only a matter of time before Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) & his slovenly groupie-hippies pop-up in this story {cue the feeling of dread}. The 1st groupie we encounter is hitchhiking Pussycat (Margaret Qualley), who Cliff gives a ride to the abandoned ranch/compound where she & her fellow cult members live. They include grimy characters played by Dakota Fanning & a blind Bruce Dern. A tense scene ensues there.
Throughout the proceedings, we also have interludes featuring Bruce Lee (Mike Moh), Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis), James Stacy (Timothy Olyphant), Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch), a stunt coordinator (Kurt Russell), among many others. Cliff's physical confrontation with Bruce Lee on a movie set is magnetic & truly hilarious. Everything culminates on that hot Friday night, 8/9/69. Rick & Cliff have just returned from Rome. It's late, so the two buddies decide to booze it up before crashing. A terrible coincidence brings the cult members to Rick's neighborhood. But while we all know what really occurred that night ... Quentin Tarantino delivers us a violent if also alternate experience; as purifying as it is shocking.
For the most part ... loved this. Tarantino bounces back into form {from The Hateful Eight} with this funny, beautiful period piece; mixing history with lore, & humor with suspense in one big 162 minute tapestry. Tarantino's dialogues are smart. And boy, did I laugh a lot. One scene in particular focuses on Rick stumbling upon his 8 yr. old co-star played by Julia Butters. It's their conversation, followed by their scene together -- which, sadly, happens to include Luke Perry in his final role -- that exemplifies Tarantino's ability to keep his audience in his grip. As for Tarantino's flair for violence, that's mostly relegated to the nail-biting finale involving a drug-addled Cliff, his fabulous pit bull, Brandy, and some ... ahem ... intruders.
Leo DiCaprio gives us another intense character-in-crisis to chew on. We know how astute his dramatic chops are and, they're evidenced here ... but it's easy to forget how funny he can be, too {his meltdown tirades are CLASSIC}. Meanwhile, watching Brad Pitt was an absolute pleasure. His bronzed, buff Cliff is a man who knows his lot in life & goes about things with the very laconic, laissez-faire attitude that we've come to love about the actor. Best of all, his warm, off-the-cuff chemistry with DiCaprio is wonderful. Just watching these two megastars together onscreen is a joy. Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate is sprinkled throughout the film from beginning to end and, though her verbiage is spare, she makes a great impression as the ethereal, mesmerizing starlet. There's a charming scene where she observes a movie audience enjoying her performance in her latest film. The entire cast impresses.
Visually, Tarantino spared no expense in making 'OUATIH' look & feel like we were plopped right into Hollywood of 1969. Robert Richardson's gritty camerawork & Barbara Ling's production design of boulevards, mansions, automobiles, back lots, etc. are all exceptional. And sonically, the 1960s soundtrack is pretty gnarly. Now, this film isn't perfect. It starts strong & ends with a BANG, but portions of the middle meander; breezing along like a lazy summer afternoon. That said, I luxuriated in the thin plot and, though little happens, there is SO much to take-in for every second of this thing. Like most of Tarantino's flicks, it's self-indulgent, but also full to the brim with brilliant little vignettes, those great performances & a sense of nostalgic old Hollywood mixed with faerie tale fantasy & shrewd realism. It's epic, entertaining, and never managed to be what I expected it to be. I love that.
Living in the Hollywood hills, Rick's dream is to meet his next-door neighbor, Roman Polanski, who recently married rising actress, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), and maybe end up in one of his upcoming films {Polanski just released Rosemary's Baby}. History dictates what happens to Sharon Tate in the summer of '69. So it's only a matter of time before Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) & his slovenly groupie-hippies pop-up in this story {cue the feeling of dread}. The 1st groupie we encounter is hitchhiking Pussycat (Margaret Qualley), who Cliff gives a ride to the abandoned ranch/compound where she & her fellow cult members live. They include grimy characters played by Dakota Fanning & a blind Bruce Dern. A tense scene ensues there.
Throughout the proceedings, we also have interludes featuring Bruce Lee (Mike Moh), Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis), James Stacy (Timothy Olyphant), Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch), a stunt coordinator (Kurt Russell), among many others. Cliff's physical confrontation with Bruce Lee on a movie set is magnetic & truly hilarious. Everything culminates on that hot Friday night, 8/9/69. Rick & Cliff have just returned from Rome. It's late, so the two buddies decide to booze it up before crashing. A terrible coincidence brings the cult members to Rick's neighborhood. But while we all know what really occurred that night ... Quentin Tarantino delivers us a violent if also alternate experience; as purifying as it is shocking.
For the most part ... loved this. Tarantino bounces back into form {from The Hateful Eight} with this funny, beautiful period piece; mixing history with lore, & humor with suspense in one big 162 minute tapestry. Tarantino's dialogues are smart. And boy, did I laugh a lot. One scene in particular focuses on Rick stumbling upon his 8 yr. old co-star played by Julia Butters. It's their conversation, followed by their scene together -- which, sadly, happens to include Luke Perry in his final role -- that exemplifies Tarantino's ability to keep his audience in his grip. As for Tarantino's flair for violence, that's mostly relegated to the nail-biting finale involving a drug-addled Cliff, his fabulous pit bull, Brandy, and some ... ahem ... intruders.
Leo DiCaprio gives us another intense character-in-crisis to chew on. We know how astute his dramatic chops are and, they're evidenced here ... but it's easy to forget how funny he can be, too {his meltdown tirades are CLASSIC}. Meanwhile, watching Brad Pitt was an absolute pleasure. His bronzed, buff Cliff is a man who knows his lot in life & goes about things with the very laconic, laissez-faire attitude that we've come to love about the actor. Best of all, his warm, off-the-cuff chemistry with DiCaprio is wonderful. Just watching these two megastars together onscreen is a joy. Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate is sprinkled throughout the film from beginning to end and, though her verbiage is spare, she makes a great impression as the ethereal, mesmerizing starlet. There's a charming scene where she observes a movie audience enjoying her performance in her latest film. The entire cast impresses.
Visually, Tarantino spared no expense in making 'OUATIH' look & feel like we were plopped right into Hollywood of 1969. Robert Richardson's gritty camerawork & Barbara Ling's production design of boulevards, mansions, automobiles, back lots, etc. are all exceptional. And sonically, the 1960s soundtrack is pretty gnarly. Now, this film isn't perfect. It starts strong & ends with a BANG, but portions of the middle meander; breezing along like a lazy summer afternoon. That said, I luxuriated in the thin plot and, though little happens, there is SO much to take-in for every second of this thing. Like most of Tarantino's flicks, it's self-indulgent, but also full to the brim with brilliant little vignettes, those great performances & a sense of nostalgic old Hollywood mixed with faerie tale fantasy & shrewd realism. It's epic, entertaining, and never managed to be what I expected it to be. I love that.