Make Hollywood "Great" Again

Rating: 6/10 (12 May 2020)

Once upon a Time... in Hollywood is a historical-fiction narrative based on the murder of actress Sharon Tate in August 1969 by followers of Charles Manson. The film centers around the fictional Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), a TV actor struggling to maintain his career, and his equally fictional stunt-double/chauffeur Cliff Booth (Pitt). Actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and her husband director Roman Polanski (factual characters) live next door to Dalton, although I would argue that they play secondary roles in this film. The plot constantly weaves between fact and fiction, making it a unique and intriguing tale.
DiCaprio and Pitt, two of today's most in-demand actors, (although some might argue that they are now past their primes) showcase thoroughly entertaining chemistry throughout the movie. DiCaprio's character is overly sensitive, somewhat inept, and lives a life of luxury in the Hollywood hills, while Pitt plays his signature no-nonsense tough guy, living a slightly less glamorous lifestyle in a mobile home with his dog. Unfortunately, Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate is not explored as much as she could have been. She does not get nearly enough screen time and hardly any lines. The few scenes in which she appears make us believe that the real Sharon Tate was simply a ditsy blonde actress who happened to be married to Roman Polansky.
This brings me to one of my biggest complaints of the movie: its depiction of minority populations. Hear me out here. I know some of the more offensive, xenophobic material in this movie is meant to be a parody of the "old westerns," but I feel like some of these "jokes" only serve to perpetuate social tensions. The fact that the movie revolves around two fictional caucasian men (in fact, played by two of the most famous real-life ones) while marginalizing Sharon Tate (and in turn, Robbie) seems like a step backward in our day and age. Bruce Lee, a hero and role model for many Chinese Americans and other Asian people, is not displayed in a positive light. The epithet "beaner" to describe Mexican people is tossed around, failing to fairly portray the Latinx community. There's hardly any African-American representation. I understand that this movie sets out to recreate the real-life, highly-discriminatory Hollywood of the 1960's, but I feel like the nostalgia-factor combined with the overall disregard for minorities in this film send a message not far from President Trump's slanted "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.
The plot has a strange pace. It's slow, but at the same time maintains momentum. One of the highlights is the seemingly near-perfect replica of the Spahn Ranch, Manson and his followers' make-shift residence which had previously been used for filming old western TV shows such as Bonanza. As far as I have been able to tell from researching online, most of the details of this strange, dystopian hippieville as reproduced in the movie are factual. Tarantino does a great job here evoking a sense of tension looming over the ranch. While this scene in particular peaked my interest, I found other parts of the movie to be comparably dull and insignificant to the greater overarching plot. The movie dragged along with somewhat in-cohesive narration and ended abruptly.
In spite of its flaws, this movie serves as an educational (although not completely accurate) depiction of the circumstances surrounding the murders of Sharon Tate and her unborn baby. I had not yet been born when this happened in real life, so it was intriguing for me to watch everything play out. A simple Google search suffices to differentiate between fact and fiction, even though some minute details are up for debate. Besides, its tendency to not be one-hundred percent historically accurate should not be a surprise to anyone who has seen Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. While I loved the concept of this movie, and while it was enticing and thought-provoking, I think it could have been done a little more tastefully by honing in more on Sharon Tate instead of glorifying two random white men who never even existed.
The ending was great though.