Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood (2019) – Film Review – “Wild, Wild West Coast”
I guess that’s the “stylized” way of writing this particular film’s title. Didn’t know that until I saw the IMDb listing. Henceforth, I’ll be referring to it by its acronym: OUATIH.
Anyway, down to brass tacks…
This is thoroughly a Tarantino film, first and foremost. And…let’s get this out of the way: I know Mr. Q has his detractors, and, granted, he’s not the most upstanding of celebrities—certainly not a social role model for up-and-coming filmmakers—but I like to separate film and filmmaker, when I’m at the movies. Watching OUATIH, as its own entity, independent of the director, it’s a fine film—hardly any tripping over itself, though not as polished or prestigious as your Pulp Fiction’s or your Reservoir Dogs’s(?). That said, I do believe this to be another Tarantino Classic—let’s face it, even the haters can’t say the man’s ever put out a truly “bad” film. His track record is nigh-impeccable, and it’s clear the split from Miramax hasn’t slowed him down; not only are the main cast all top-notch, but the story—and the twists and turns, therein—make for a thoroughly-entertaining, nearly-three-hour romp.
Yea, it’s a long film…but it’s full. It’s not three hours of bull-hooey (although, that is one criticism I’ve heard on his dialogue-writing, in the past. Even the most seemingly-insignificant lines are chock-full of telling elements, though, for the fox-eared viewer. What I would call “clunky” in other movies, Tarantino manages to make every line intriguing.
No doubt that’s, in part, due to the A-level talent involved.
Of course, DiCaprio and Pitt are fantastic—I got that much from the trailers. Both guys are so accomplished in their craft, and have been working at such for longer than I’ve been alive. However, their characters’ chemistry in the context of the story is what sold me; these guys feel like they’ve been friends forever, as long as Cliff (Pitt) has been Rick (DiCaprio)’s stunt-man. It’s a complex character dynamic, and one that follows through to fantastic fruition at the end—no spoilers. I’m glad we don’t follow one person too stringently, though; it’s a plot that very much is derived from Pulp’s structure. We get just as much Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) as we do those two, or the kids from the Manson cult. Many lead characters, no real “center”. As my love (bless her—she hasn’t even seen it!) put it: “There is no real ‘hero’; the alleged ‘main character’ is the one holding or seeing through the camera, or the place, in itself—Hollywood.” I hadn’t even thought of it that way…!
It felt like the time period—I believe it was stated somewhere to take place in the late-1960s, possibly just before the turn of the decade. Costumes, mise-en-scene, set-dressings—everything just grounded my mind in the location and the times…not to mention the pop culture nods galore, even the self-referential kind Tarantino threw in. The soundtrack is quintessential ‘60s, too, and it all rolls together in one, giant love letter to “Old Hollywood”—the tail-end of the studio system, the art of fine movie-making, actor struggles, it all just being…well, another job, like working a desk. Take a Film History class—you’ll see what I mean.
The narration (by…Kurt Russell?) is a little off-putting; to be effective, I would’ve put it at the beginning, maybe a little bit in the middle for the six-month jump in events, and to cap it all off at the end. A large chunk of the latter-second act, however, is muddled by this. Kind of took me out of the film… Leading into act three (and what an act three it is…), I had to re-center myself, get invested again. Luckily, we have two great leading men to help out with that, and their humor is fantastic, not at all flat.
It’s all very pledge, turn, prestige—what we think will happen, doesn’t, necessarily, but I kind of expected such from Tarantino’s twisted mind. Reads more as fan-fiction, but—as I stated above—it’s okay; like Inglourious Basterds didn’t come across as shallow or insulting because of its ending, neither does OUATIHfall short because of the massive twist it takes, in the end. I actually thought it was a better film for it. My viewing buddy, this round—a long-time friend and co-worker, instead of my usual pal, Chris, but just as well-versed in this ars gratia artis approach to filmmaking—was also thoroughly-entertained, and we made educated comments to each other throughout. It was a reasonably-full theatre—good atmosphere, and reassuring, for the type of film it is. Go in blind—I didn’t watch Jeremy Jahns or Chris Stuckmann’s reviews prior to viewing, as I wanted to just take it all in for myself. So glad I did it that way.
Also, stay for the mid-credits; it’s nothing mind-blowing, but definitely worth the extra little tongue-in-cheek jab at “the way things used to be”.
Final ‘Risk Assessment: ****/*
