Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (2019)

Review

161min

Genre:     Comedy, Drama

Director:  Quentin Tarantino

Cast:       Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie…and more

Writers:   Quentin Tarantino

-Synopsis-

Against the backdrop of the final years of Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’ in the late 1960s, and the death of American innocence, a washed-up actor and his loyal stunt double to take one last shot at making it big in Hollywood, as their story intersects with a host of quirky Tinseltown characters, and the bleakness of the Manson Family.

After absorbing cinema in all its forms and becoming a walking showbiz encyclopaedia, and then transferring his predilections into an extraordinary filmmaking career which flowed from indie cinema to studio fare, without ever losing his distinct storytelling voice, Quentin Tarantino’s film releases have become a must-see event in the film industry calendar . . . and pop culture in general. Now for supposedly his penultimate feature film, he turns his distinct filmmaking eye to the La-La Land of yesteryear, crafting his singular ode to classic Hollywood . . . both the industry and the place, and a uniquely Tarantinoesque time capsule tribute to the place where he grew up.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as anxious 60s actor ‘Rick Dalton’, a fading former film and TV star now relegated to screen gatekeeper for up-and-coming talent, and on his last mainstream Hollywood legs, flanked by his unflappable friend and veteran stuntman turned personal valet ‘Cliff Booth’ (Brad Pitt), as the industry passes them by while illustrious neighbours arrive next door— young new starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and celebrated director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha). But as their paths cross with a collection of disparate L.A. characters—including a creepy hippie commune with a sinister leader—there may yet be hope for this dynamic duo to keep their collective foot in the Tinseltown door.

The film industry has a long track record of adding ‘artistic flair’ when it comes to recounting true stories from the past, but it’s a relatively rare occasion when we’re given a Hollywood history lesson about . . . well Hollywood, and it’s an even more special treat when it’s laced with a heavy dose of gloriously outrageous Tarantino realist fantasy and revisionism—which has predictably caused some obligatory social media-fuelled outrage over certain depictions.

Yet Quentin Tarantino’s 9th directorial feature— which by most reasonable estimations is actually his 10th, and by our count his 11th—is also his most restrained, reflective, and dare we say it mature film do date. By setting the film in a changing Hollywood where the youth counter-culture is replacing the old guard, this is also the filmmaker’s reflection on ageing, seen through the lens of his lead character, and when combined with where the film is set and what it’s about, ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ is undoubtedly the most personal film of his career.

Fear not though, because this bittersweet yet hopeful and fanciful Hollywood tale features plenty of the over-the-top, outrageous hallmarks we’ve come to love and expect. Masterfully written and full of character, often hilarious and occasionally finding the opportune moment to inject a bit of the ‘ole ultra-violence . . . at its most satisfying. It’s also energised by yet another sumptuous musical selection, this time featuring some glorious psychedelic pop, rock and soul from around the time in which it’s set—making it the least anachronistic soundtrack of all his films.

Having spent the first two thirds of his career writing and directing exclusively contemporary stories set in the present day, or at least some version of it, Tarantino’s latest marks the fourth time in a row he’s made a period picture. And his legendary eye for detail is matched by the sheer quality of costume and production designs which so vividly and meticulously re-create Los Angeles of 1969—which includes using or re-creating some of the director’s old haunts—while legendary cinematographer and regular Quentin collaborator Robert Richardson captures everything in signature style.

Like all of the Tarantino’s films ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ is for the most part a larger-than-life character piece. Combining the director’s own creations, which could plausibly have existed, with his freewheeling depictions of real people, including Margot Robbie’s dazzling and largely visual portrayal of Sharon Tate—who despite being one of the three point-of-view characters is mainly a supporting role for the two leads, and one which adds colour and style to the whole affair while barely intersecting with them.

It’s Pitt and DiCaprio who are the life of this Hollywood party though, with the former seamlessly inhabiting the role of the low-key but fierce and loyal stuntman with a past, almost an extension of Brad’s role in ‘Inglorious Basterds’. But it’s Leo’s wonderfully accessible, often hilarious and occasionally poignant performance which defines the show, an unforgettable embodiment of Tarantino’s tribute to the timeless anxieties and self-doubt of the struggling, and in this case fading actor, as the director expertly plunges his two leads into clever and endless references to classic TV and film.

Then there’s the Manson Family of course who play a key role in the narrative, but thankfully not in the way you might expect thanks to that bold Tarantino flair—as he avoids dwelling on their evil mania and barely features their leader, using them to illustrate hippie culture and ‘free love’ gone toxic, and a nail in the coffin of innocence in American culture . . . while giving these lost youngsters their just deserts.

All-in-all Tarantino’s latest is an unmitigated success, yet again, which despite being more nuanced and less flashy than most of his work, keeps you in a gleeful Hollywood trance and engrossed all the way through to its outrageous and satisfying conclusion. And all this as the director pours himself into his most personal film in the manner with which he’s most comfortable, through the prism of pop culture and filmmaking, while delivering an unlikely tale of friendship, hope and redemption . . . the way only he can.

The Bottom Line…

Wishful thinking Tarantinoesque realist fantasy meets meticulous cinematic time capsule, Quentin Tarantino’s supposed penultimate feature is his most personal and mature, proving a signature and unforgettable ode to the industry and place which shaped his life—as ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ reminds us in style of what we’ll be missing if he makes good on his career intentions.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

The Nice Guys (2016)

In late 1970s Los Angeles; a sleazy private investigator and a gruff enforcer team up on a mysterious missing persons case, only to get caught up in a dangerous criminal conspiracy which links the underworld to the corridors of power in this off-beat comedy crime story from writer/director Shane Black.

Directed by Shane Black and starring Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe and Angourie Rice among others.

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