Stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) next to his friend, lead actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio). Photo via Sony Pictures
By Shane Hernandez, Staff Writer
Non Spoiler Review
Quentin Tarantino is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of our time. No matter what you think his films, from “Reservoir Dogs” to “The Hateful Eight”, we all have one favorite Tarantino film. Out of the nine films, this movie may just be one of my favorites but for different reasons than you might expect
“Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood” is a stylistic masterpiece to represent Hollywood in the late 1960’s. Everything in it is fictionalized and very over-saturated for a stylistic choice that may not be appreciated by everyone but pleasing to me. If you go in believing it’s purely based on the Manson Family murders with Sharon Tate, you’ll be left disappointed. To describe “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood” best, it’s “Pulp Fiction” meets “Jackie Brown” and “Inglorious Bastards” yet manages to represent itself as its own original piece than just those films mashed together.
I had to watch this movie a couple of times to solidify my feelings. The first time around, the film is really slow paced. The second time around the pacing felt much more fluent because I understood Tarantino’s decisions when revisiting it. It does such a good job to make you feel like you’re living in 1969.
The film takes you on a trip with Rick Dalton (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) a former western actor who is fading into obscurity. His stunt double, Cliff Booth (played by Brad Pitt), has formed a special friendship with Dalton that makes them inseparable. As this all occurs, Sharon Tate (played by Margot Robbie), moves in next door to Dalton. The audience is soon immersed in the lives of a washed up actor, stunt man who doesn’t look for the fame and innocent actress just enjoying her life. All of which meet together with the Manson family.
While DiCaprio’s performance is charming and great in it’s own story, Pitt steals the show as Cliff Booth. In every scene, you are given a good time as he delivers the best lines. The dynamic is a great friendship but Pitt demonstrates that the stuntman is truly the unsung hero.
The movies works best if you love the historical side of Hollywood itself. I’m not a fan of westerns, however I love hearing the stories behind productions from tv shows like “Batman” and “The Green Hornet” all the way to films like “Psycho” and “West Side Story”. It’s both historically fun to live the 60’s yet have a good time with it’s fictional roots.
“Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood” may not be the best Tarantino film, however, it carries some of his best characters. It’s not too outlandish for newcomers to his work, yet surprises you by going outlandish in all the best ways. The jokes still land after watching it multiple times, sometimes even better than they did the first time I watched it. With an aesthetic from a time period in Hollywood history that I fell in love with, Tarantino’s 9th movie isn’t his best, but one of my personal favorites.
Spoiler Review
Just as “Inglorious Bastards” showed us a twist on historical events with the demise of Hitler, we see a similar fate with the Manson family. In the end, we are all tied back into their stories with what we believe will be the eventual murders. The night of the Tate murders, Rick and Cliff get drunk as a “one last horah” before they part ways, since Rick can’t pay to have Cliff around with his new wife. However, the night doesn’t go according to plan, when Rick upsets the Manson hippies that were getting ready to invade the Tate house. In an expected yet surprising turn of events, Rick and Cliff end up defeating the crazy hippies.
While in reality, the Mansons kill Sharon Tate (including her unborn child) and many other friends, the twist to the story is to bring justice. We can’t reverse time or change the past. We can only try to imagine what could have happened. In the end, the Manson family’s fate is altered once they encounter Rick and Cliff. Although we can’t bring Sharon Tate and her friends back, this alternate version of history leaves you satisfied. We can’t say whether the revenge is justified, although we can all agree that Tate and the other victims didn’t deserve to die.
For the other fictionalization of characters, one that comes to mind with controversy is Bruce Lee. Lee’s daughter reported that she was unhappy that Tarantino didn’t consult her about how her father was portrayed in the film. “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood” views Lee as an arrogant fighter, bragging about being a superior fighter. I ended up enjoying watching a very over the top version of Bruce Lee, only because it’s intentional. Tarantino is known for this and if you’re going in looking for realism, then you’re just not going to enjoy it.
After the Manson family comes to face their new fate, Rick finally gets the recognition he has been dreaming of his entire career, as simple yet pivotal exchange for him. He’s invited in for drinks by a star-struck Sharon. It is from this point on out we can leave the ending to our own interpretation. Perhaps due to meeting Sharon and her husband, director Roman Polanski, Rick was able to star in more movies and keep his friend Cliff around. Overall, the deaths that occurred in 1969 changed Hollywood forever. Perhaps with them not happening, Rick can live his dream in an unchanging world that will reside in the simple times that were the 60s a little bit longer.
