For a film that requires one to sit in a chair for 2 hours and 41 minutes, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” left me with not one ounce of regret I committed to such proceedings. Perhaps I’m just a sucker for a thick layer of nostalgia and a period piece with supremely high production values, but nevertheless, Mr. Tarantino and all involved got the job done…
Off the top, the two leads of this gem, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, both handled their respective roles with the same believability and swagger that allowed this film to work without a typical plot. More specifically, Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay meanders a lot– That’s not a slight either, but you’re essentially asking the viewers to hang out with DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton struggling actor character and Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth stunt double role for the majority of the story with no particular structure to the events. So it goes without saying, if the two leads stunk, this flick would have been dead on arrival. Furthermore, the likability factor of the chemistry both Pitt and DiCaprio share in scenes together elevates the entire picture. Sure, there are many scenes the two share separately that are indelible, but overall they’re quite the dynamic duo together.
As far as what to expect from the plot? It was very much about two fictional characters plopped into a non-fictional era of the United States, 1969 Hollywood to be exact– From that basis there are certainly liberties that QT’s script took from beginning to end. To put it simply, the viewer should not expect historical accuracy throughout. This allowed for hearty dose of flexibility to craft one hell of an ending…
Not to be understated or undervalued, but Margot Robbie’s performance, as the late Sharon Tate, made me rhapsodize about what the real Sharon Tate was all about. For example, there’s a scene midway through where Tate makes her way to a local cinema only to notice a film she was in, ‘The Wrecking Crew’, with Dean Martin, is being showcased. Robbie projected this downright giddy as a school girl energy as she conveyed Tate’s excitement seeing herself up on the big screen. Even moreso in a fight scene that Bruce Lee helped train her for in real life as she was beside herself hearing the audience behind her cheer on the performance. But it was Robbie’s mannerisms with her eyes and intermittent glowing smile that allowed her to project so much without needing a lot of dialogue in the film.
Bottom line, don’t go into this movie expecting some of Tarantino’s past faster pace fare. This is more of a slow burn akin to the likes of Jackie Brown (a film I happen to love), and in this specific instance, chew on the scenery, the dialogue and the authentic recreation of late 60s Hollywood as much as possible. Now if you stick to that, everything else is cream cheese, folks!
4 out of 4 stars..
Leave Us Your Comments.