Quentin Tarantino is one of the most controversial and successful directors of all time. His unique style, filled with foot fetishes, zany music, thick dialogue, bloody violence, and, of course, the fictional Red Apple Cigarettes have split film fans for a long time. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is his latest endeavor. The films contains all of the classic Tarantino tropes, but does can it stand on its own as a movie?
Once Upon a Time stars Leonardo DiCaprio as fictional actor Rick Dalton. Dalton is a has-been star trying to make it by in Television. Paired with his driver/stunt-double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) they navigate the landscape of Hollywood in 1969. They come in contact with real figures of the time such as Bruce Lee and Steve McQueen. The most important historical figure they come in contact with is Sharon Tate, who is played by Margot Robbie, predating her fateful murder at the hands of the Manson Family.
Tarantino is known for his dialogue heavy scenes. Sometime, these can feel overindulgent from page to screen. the worst culprit of this was the overly long Hateful Eight. Once Upon a Time is not so filled with unnecessary dialogue or boring anecdotes, yet still contains some verbiage that could have been left in a rough draft. Tarantino has never been known for being a super tight screenwriter, and this certainly does not change. However, the story told is particularly engaging, so it mostly makes up for that loss.
The praise I will give is that of the actors. DiCaprio gives a sentimental yet humorous performance, and really gives us a fully developed character in Rick Dalton. I have to say how refreshing it is to see DiCaprio return to the screen after a four year hiatus after the grueling shoot of The Revenant. The sudden shifts in the tone of character prove why he is one of the best actors around. Brad Pitt is also particularly wonderful and sharp as the "tough guy" character of the film. No one writes better street dialogue than Tarantino, and this is once again evident.
One common criticism of Tarantino is not being in touch with the times. Though his blatant foot fetish is still present, I feel his own unique touch of feminism is still present in the film. One critique was the lack of dialogue for Margot Robbie's character within the film. However, I feel it honored Sharon Tate to show her existing rather than focusing too much on developing her. She needed no further characterization as we all know her horrific fate. The revisionist history so common on Tarantino movies was once again present. For some reason, it felt a little mores sloppy and far less tactful than prior movies such as Inglorious Basterds. Using a devastating tragedy for contextual use of a comedic punch line was relatively ungracious. However, I was very grateful to have a Tarantino film without the antiquated use of the N-word. Maybe well into his 50s, Tarantino is still evolving in modern understanding, a pleasant surprise for any film fan.
Though it is not Tarantino's most brilliant project, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is a sharp and very well made movie that I enjoyed thoroughly. When all is said and done, Tarantino will more than likely fulfill his wish of having the most flawless filmography of all time.
Grade (8.5/10)
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