Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino
"Anybody accidently kills anybody in a fight, they go to jail. It’s called manslaughter.” Brad Pitt (Cliff Booth)
Tarantino’s 9thfilm may just be his most baffling. His usual style is present, his always entertaining dialogue is there (though not as on point or clever as usual), and as he has done before, he brings this idea of revisionist history to a familiar historical event. All the pieces are in place for another Tarantino classic, but something was a little off in the valley.
Always interesting director Quentin Tarantino brings “young girls to the valley” with his film set in 1969 Hollywood. Mostly a buddy film than a revisionist history lesson that chooses to focus more on the relationship of aging TV cowboy Rick Dalton (played very well by DiCaprio) and his driver/stuntman Cliff Booth (a vintage Pitt performance), than steer too closely to the Manson/Tate murders. I don’t think the script was always intended to go this direction. Perhaps Tarantino didn’t have a clear picture of what story he wanted to tell here, or maybe once he got Pitt and DiCaprio (rumor has it Cruise was maybe considering the Cliff Booth role), he decided to lean into those two superstars rather than the Tate murders. Sharon Tate (played quietly well by Margot Robbie) does get a decent amount of screen time, most of which she spends just walking around L.A. looking fabulous. I don’t want to criticize Tarantino too much for borderline objectifying Robbie’s version of Tate in this film because the real Tate was a beautiful woman worth celebrating (in one endearing scene the Robbie version of Tate watches the real Tate on screen in a 1968 film called The Wrecking Crew), but she doesn’t get a lot of dialogue to work with, which I found somewhat odd. The film does build tension in typical Tarantino fashion with a series of setups that in most of his films would end in bloody violence, however, he chooses to display some restraint in this film (very uncharacteristically), and we don’t get the gruesomeness we are accustomed to until the very end of the film. There are a slew of cameo’s from familiar faces of the Tarantino-film-verse, but only a few standouts get enough dialogue to chew on. Dakota Fanning (Squeaky) and Margaret Qualley (Pussycat) mischievously play two of the Manson girls, and recent Stranger Things alum (and Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s daughter) Maya Hawke also gets a neat little scene stealing moment. In the final analysis, for almost 3 hours, we meander around Hollywood (and briefly jet-set to Italy) a bit too much for this film to be an all-timer. At times it is very clever, at times the backdrop of 1969 L.A. is downright gorgeous, and at times, the acting is top notch; however, the sum of all these parts never quite comes together. I think when you are revisiting Nazi’s and Slavery and putting a different narrative down it works well enough, but when you are focusing (or trying to focus) on a more personal tale like the Manon/Tate murders, it feels a little more distasteful. I couldn’t help but think of Tarantino’s defense in the early 2000’s of Polanski’s rape case, why this story? Art is art, and I respect Tarantino too much as an artist to question him, but I could see how some folks may think this film is in poor taste. Hollywood can’t save Tate, Tarantino may be unable to save Hollywood, but still this film is different enough than the usual summer fare we get, it is definitely worth seeing: SEE IT!
(The Shawshank Scale 1-10) A killer soundtrack, Tarantino’s view of 1969 L.A. through his stylistic eye, and a penchant for near flawless casting keeps this film fresh and interesting enough to give Once Upon a Time in Hollywood a worthy 6.5 on the Shawshank Scale. I can’t help but feel like this film went through the script washer one too many times, and maybe Tarantino didn’t have a complete idea here. That said, I’ll be in line for his next one.
Ranking Quentin Tarantino Films:
1. Pulp Fiction (1994)-Unlike anything I had seen before in terms of a feature film.
2. Reservoir Dogs (1992)-Incredible dialogue, realistic violence, and a cool throwback soundtrack.
3. Jackie Brown (1997)-I liked Taratino’s take on Elmore Leonard, he should adapt more!
4. Inglourious Basterds (2009)-It took me awhile, but I’ve learned to really appreciate this one.
5. Django Unchained (2012)-It was almost great, but a little overstuffed.
6. Kill Bill 1 & 2 (2003 & 04)-Culmination of all things Tarantino.
7. Death Proof (2007)-Part of a double feature, I was entertained, but didn’t find it rewatchable.
SHOUTS TO TRUE ROMANCE! Directed by Tony Scott and filled with great performances and excellent dialogue. It’s not better than Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, or Inglourious, but might be better than the rest.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY GUEST APPEARANCE ON TALKING FLICK!
Talking Flick on Anchor (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Episode)
Talking Flick on iTunes (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Episode)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Join in the discussion...get involved!!! Come on you know want to....what the hell do I know.