A Tarantino Valentine -- and Perhaps His Greatest Cinematic Legacy

Rating: 9/10 (2 September 2019)

Some people have asked my opinion of Quentin Tarantino's latest film, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," since I resided there during the period in which the movie is set (the film spans February-August of 1969, and I moved into an apartment in the heart of downtown Hollywood, across from Grauman's Chinese Theatre, in June of 1970). I can't recall being as pleasantly surprised and so fully entertained by a film since 1973's "The Sting," with both films featuring two engaging, charismatic stars meshing so perfectly in an equally engrossing and lovingly escapist tale. It's fun, worth the time -- and the highest compliment of all -- makes you want to see it again. Serendipitously, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" touches upon some things that have very personal reference points for me. For instance, Leonardo DiCaprio's '50's Western star Rick Dalton trying to rebound in popularity and status reminds me of my first half-hour in Hollywood, when I met '50s Western star Hugh O'Brian ("The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp"), who was starring in a so-so TV movie in which a close friend of mine had a supporting role. O'Brian had been one of my idols growing up (his series, which debuted in 1955, was one of the first so-called "adult Westerns" and had been highly rated -- I had watched it since grade school). It was a rather sad moment. O'Brian couldn't have been kinder (I was a young actor, obviously green as grass), but the feeling of his trying to regain some sort of lost stature was palpable. For that reason I found DiCaprio's portrayal of Dalton dead-on. He was superb. When Dalton finds some degree of encouragement with a supporting role in the old cop show "The F.B.I.," I had to laugh. Two weeks before I moved into my little bachelor apartment, the series had actually shot an episode in my living room (the tenants were still abuzz about that). When Tarantino sweeps by the Cinerama Dome theater -- that was the first place I went to see a movie upon arriving in Hollywood. The historic Musso & Frank Grill was one of the first places old Hollywood hands insisted I go, and it became a kind of second home when I wanted to get out among "people." When Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate visits the venerable Larry Edmunds Bookshop, that was yet another frequent haunt that Hollywood veterans had introduced me too. Brad Pitt, who plays DiCaprio's close friend and stunt double Cliff Booth in perhaps his best performance yet (which is saying a lot), also resonated with me. One of my first acquaintances, whom I had met in a Steve McQueen-produced movie that brought me to Hollywood, was one of Hollywood's leading stunt men (think doubling for Clint Eastwood). Pitt absolutely nails the attitude and swagger of this important and all too often underappreciated class of performers. As for McQueen himself, Damian Lewis' brief turn as the superstar is chillingly accurate. You feel as if you're watching and listening to the real deal (even though McQueen has been gone since 1980, dying well before his time at the age of 50). Then there are the peripheral characters, like the late singer Mama Cass Elliot; I had literally run into her at a Hollywood premiere (and subsequently found myself with her and actress Angela Lansbury searching a parking garage for our cars after the screening). Most importantly, Tarantino captures exactly the look and feel of Hollywood at that time, without being musty, mocking or condescending. My only beef with the film, and it's a slight one, is that I thought Robbie's Sharon Tate came off a little featherbrained; I think the intent was to show her as an innocent, but in my mind the characterization didn't quite get there. And I'm not sure I was that taken with Al Pacino's portrayal of a sleazy casting agent, which seemed a bit too stagey and over the top. As for the story, which has Tarantino doing some revising of the Manson Family tragedy, it has an interesting twist regarding our heroes (to say much more would give away the plot). But all in all, I LOVED the film (I saw it on my birthday -- it was a gift from my family), and for me it was both an entertainment and a trip back to a special time. Those who have called this Tarantino's valentine to Hollywood -- and film -- have got it right. It's jammed with so much delicious Hollywood trivia of the day that only the most genuine lover of the industry could have put it all together in such a perfect, meaningful way. The movie is a keeper, and may come to be regarded as one of Tarantino's greatest cinematic legacies. It's that good -- and a Hollywood aficionado's delight.