Review - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

As you probably know, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  is the newest film from Hollywood auteur and genuine maniac Quentin Tarantino. This time, instead of being set in the old west, Nazi occupied France or a basement full of bleeding guys in suits, the film is set in Hollywood in 1969, around the time of the Manson murders. While there is that real life grounding though, we largely follow two fictional characters, those being Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth. Rick is a washed up TV actor, caught between TV guest spots in which other actors outperform him and a potential future in Italy making trashy Italian movies. In the mean time, Sharon Tate has arrived in Hollywood and there is a dark energy coming from the gathering forces of the Manson family, both of which seem to be on some horrible collision course in the future. The thing is though, none of this really matters. Okay, a little bit of knowledge about the Manson murders won't hurt, but this is essentially a hangout movie. Some people go to some places and have some conversations. As long as you're aware that that's the structure here, I don't think you'll have too much of a problem, as I know I didn't. One thing about the story that I didn't care for though was the ending. Of course, I'm not going to spoil it, but I will say that it's a moment where the story unhinges, like the jaw of a ravenous animal, and becomes somewhat deranged. I have my own personal theories about the ending but even so, it removed me from a story I'd otherwise completely fallen into. It has split opinion, I wasn't on the side that cared for it, but there was still much leading up to it that I loved.

There are many things that Tarantino is known for (many of which I will get into later) but a big one is bringing in interesting actors to give great performances and Hollywood is certainly no exception. Leading that crop is Leonardo DiCaprio in his first performance since his Oscar winning work in The Revenant. This, it may surprise you to hear, is a very different performance. At no point (that I remember) does he eat raw bison liver in this. Instead, he gets to do a subtler thing as a character actor who is capable of surprising depth at times. It takes real talent to play an actor who can vacillate between sloppy, okay and great performances, while also being able to show the human underneath. DiCaprio does a great performance, hardly a shock. Equally shocking in his brilliance is Brad Pitt, a very handsome man that everyone always seems to forget is a brilliant actor and here he is, giving probably his coolest performance since Tyler Durden in Fight Club. Like Fight Club though, you can't be too fooled by the coolness, there's something underneath. Even so, he's the kind of dude you just love to watch and in a film this long, that goes a long way. It doesn't hurt that about three separate times, he gets the funniest line in the film. In a smaller role (although advertised around plenty) is Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate. I don't know much about Sharon Tate, I've never seen any of the movies she was in, but you can tell Robbie is aiming for an impression of her. It's different to work she's done before but that meant I saw the character instead of her and in my eyes, that's exactly what actors should do. Other than them, there's an ensemble of talented actors doing great stuff all over the place, from Margaret Qualley to Timothy Olyphant and even a brief appearance from the delightful Maya Hawke. Everyone acts their socks (or lack of socks) off.

Alright, let's get into the Tarantino-y parts of the film then. After all, he's one of a select group of directors working today who even those who don't watch loads of films could identify traits and repeat tropes from. I really want to talk about this with Hollywood because it is simultaneously a film which indulges in his tropes, yet also justifies or critiques some of them, offering us up what we've seen before with a self-reflexive ease that is rare. To name just three of his faves, Tarantino films usually have perfect period detail, deep musical cuts inserted into scenes and feet. Always lots of feet. All have their place in this film though. The period detail works because it draws you into a world in a film where there isn't much action scene to scene. I kept thinking to myself as I was watching that if any of the cars we were following in any scene of the film just happened to turn right instead of left, the world would still carry on. Despite this being a film made on sets, it never once felt like that. The music ties into that too, but even the lyrics seemed to have perfect resonance. Any of the music you've heard in the trailers and liked, you'll get to listen to that again here in its full funkiness. Hell, there was a use of "Mrs Robinson" that didn't sound cliched, that's completely unheard of! Which I guess just leaves the feet. As I said earlier, there are a lot of feet in this film, more so than any other Tarantino film I can think of. But it feels like it has a point? When we see people's feet, it tells us something about them. Sometimes it's wildness, sometimes it's innocence and when there are shoes on those feet, it tells us about a guardedness. The feet is always the bit about Tarantino films that makes me most uncomfortable (aside from the scenes where he chokes actresses for "realism") but because there is a gentler vibe to this film, I found myself trusting him that it all has a place. In a way, it almost feels like Tarantino has been smoking as much pot as some of the characters in the film because this is a film that is, for the most part, mellowed out and open. It is a new Tarantino and one I really like.

Whether this film sounds like your bag or not, I still recommend you go and see it. Like him as a person or not, the "auteur" film doesn't exist anymore and Tarantino is this sole bastion, willing to make original movies that may very well challenge you. Which is great! Movies should be challenging us and even in its mellowness, Hollywood is a film that still allows itself to challenge you. I have my hesitations with the story but even with those, I feel happy giving this film a