Squintin' Tendertino

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2019)

By now, we all know Quentin Tarantino is a genius of his craft. Even if you are not one for the excessive violence expected in the third act of his films, there is much to be appreciated in the terrific dialogue and well-designed set pieces. Tarantino's ninth work (he considers Kill Bill volumes 1 and 2 to be one film) is no different in these regards. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood is an amalgamation of three storylines following actor Rick Dalton's (Leonardo DiCaprio) struggle with has-been syndrome; his stuntman and best friend, Cliff Booth's (Brad Pitt) minor adventures waiting for Rick to finish shooting and his interest in one of the Manson girls; and Sharon Tate's (Margot Robbie) lavish lifestyle leading up to the date of her infamous murder by members of the Manson cult. It has all the Tarantino signatures, but two things stand out as unique to this film: its relationships and its scenery.
Despite the film's grisly inspiration, Once Upon a Time is Tarantino's most tender work. Never before in his films has a relationship between characters been so loyal and "bromantic". DiCaprio and Pitt's chemistry comes off the screen as incredibly real. Cliff Booth has always been second to Rick Dalton and is treated like an assistant when he is not needed for Dalton's stunts, but there is never a point where we doubt their friendship and Booth's loyalty. These characters are very well rounded and, through all the flashbacks and dialogue, we understand why they keep each other around. Dalton was the only one who stuck by Booth after his wife died in a mysterious fishing accident. Whether he did it or not is up to the viewer in a surprisingly quick and comedic flashback, but most people with whom he comes into contact assume he killed her. Now, for Rick it is nothing as serious, but Cliff is always there to cheer him up after producers and directors remind him of his failures or try to encourage him to sell out. It is proven to the audience time after time that the two are inseparable. That is, until the start of the film's third act with a time jump and a chin-quiver-inducing scene while the two were at dinner. The fact that I cared so much for this relationship was quite surprising and made me question at points if what I was watching was even a Quentin Tarantino film.
The film also approaches the character of Sharon Tate and the events of the Manson murders with respect and caution. Instead of depicting Tate as just the inevitable victim of the Manson family, we get a glimpse into her personal life as a rising star in Hollywood. We get to see her rocking out to Paul Revere & The Raiders in her bedroom and going to see her new movie, The Wrecking Crew, with a regular audience on a sunny afternoon and barely get noticed by the box office attendant or the crowd. Tarantino really tries to make Tate's scenes about her and not about the Manson family. Margot Robbie puts on an excellent performance here and actually disappears into her role.
Once Upon a Time also features tremendous shots of old time Hollywood. You can tell that Tarantino obsessed over this aspect of the project because there are so many thoughtful details in the scenery. Watching the film, we get to explore locations from Sunset Boulevard to the Playboy Mansion. It is not the places he shows us, but the way he shows us that is so striking about the film. He brings the background to the foreground and makes the set pieces the star of the show. There may be just two people on the screen, but it is the setting that is the camera's focus showing every precise detail put into recreating 1969 Los Angeles. You'll be squinting at the screen as Cliff drives Rick's Coupe de Ville throughout the city or as Sharon Tate and Roman Polanksi head to dinner to take in as much of the scenery as possible. Some of this detail includes an expert re-creation of Spahn Movie Ranch and even the adult theater that would later become Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema.
Although this film takes much longer to get to Tarantino's trademark violence and may move slow at times, the ending is 100% worth the almost three hour build up. The film's ending both warmed my heart and boggled my mind. You can tell that Tarantino's most recent endeavor is the film he has always wanted to make. He included his signature dialogue and outrageous violence; but he also gave himself the opportunity to geek out over Hollywood nostalgia, show viewers everything he is capable of as a seasoned director, and once again rewrite history. With the welcome additions of a well-realized friendship between the film's two main characters and the respectful treatment of its characters, Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood is certainly Quentin Tarantino's most tender work and it may just be his best.