Tarantino's Magnum Opus, A Tribute To Hollywood, About Hollywood Done As Only QT Could

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 2019)

Quentin Tarantino has always demonstrated a strong love for the art of film making. It isn't just a love for the industry or the culture, but for the medium itself, the stories it tells, and the way in which it's done. His films are full of tiny Easter eggs, homages, and call backs to films of yesteryear that have, in a sense, defined his specific style. Some find this off putting, going so far as to criticize him for doing nothing but aping other auteurs. But, by and large, Tarantino is considered one of the defining indie filmmakers standing as a tentpole of cinematic artists. It seems, then, that he is past due for a film that truly defines him and what his work means, and it's hard to argue that this film isn't that. A loving tribute to, at least by appearances, Quentin's most beloved era of film making, this is maybe the quintessential Tarantino film, even if it doesn't exactly bear repeat viewings.
More in line with something like Pulp Fiction, Once Upon A Time, taking place in 1969, follows actor Rick Dalton, as played by Leonardo DiCaprio, his stuntman and all around confidant Cliff Booth, as played by Brad Pitt, and to a somewhat lesser extent Sharon Tate, the famous real life actress killed by the Manson family in 1969 as played by Margot Robbie. Each actor brings their best here, with DiCaprio back to his somewhat emotionally vulnerable and slightly unhinged form, while Pitt plays off him as cool, with swagger to spare, aggression, and even some slight bursts of violence. Robbie, who is disconnected from the two for pretty much the entirety of the film, counters the two old timers seeing their time in Hollywood sunset as Sharon, a starlet who is still seeing Hollywood through rose colored lenses and smiles wide at herself on screen and basks in the glow of a budding career. Supporting all three is a wide cast of cameos and guest spots, many of which are Tarantino regulars, including Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, and Michael Madsen, while a handful of new actors to Tarantinon's repertoire join in, like Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, and Dakota Fanning.
When Tarantino says this is a love letter to Hollywood, it isn't simply that he wants to tell a story about Hollywood from this period. It's that he wants to recreate a Hollywood of yesterday. There are long swathes of time where we spend time travelling with our characters, taking in all of the old businesses that once lined the streets of Hollywood, or listening to the music of the era. This isn't just about Hollywood as a business, but as a culture, as a geographical point in Los Angeles. It's about the entirety of Hollywood and a point of time it existed in, as well as the transition to the next phase of Hollywood. Tarantino makes an interesting choice in choosing to focus, in part, on Sharon Tate, but when put up against Rick and Cliff, it makes sense. Rick and Cliff are the old timers coming to terms with their fading careers, with Rick especially having a difficult time dealing with the fact that he may very well be in the last throes of his spotlight. Conversely, Sharon, the young starlet begins her career at the entrance of a new time period. And while much has been made about the involvement of the Manson family in the film, in reality their inclusion feels more symbolic than a core part of the film. While the finale of the film is fairly crazy and maybe the most Tarantino-esque part of it, like reality in which the Manson family murders were considered a definitive end to 60's Hollywood and the beginning of New Hollywood, here they act as a thematic transition for our characters from one era of Hollywood to the next.
While this is very much a Tarantino film, this is QT at his most thoughtful and contemplative. Perhaps he has put much of himself in the film, a film maker who has been making movies for nearly 30 years and is now planning to call it quits on big time movies. The film isn't littered with snappy dialogue, pop culture references, or even long bouts of dialogue exchange like we're used to. The pop culture exchanges typical of his movie seem to encompass the entire thing. We might normally see the Manson family become a one off gag. Here, it becomes an intrinsic part of the film. Make no mistake, the script is still excellent, as is the production itself, which gives us scenes from fake movies and TV shows that feel every bit like they belong in productions from the 50's and 60's. But it all feels like it's a much more natural and thoughtful part of the film than it is a gag thrown in for the sake of being in the film. These characters all feel real, like the kind of people Tarantino might look up to from a bygone era, rather than wanting to create for his own personal enjoyment. This isn't just Tarantino trying to entertain us, pay homage to scenes from movies, or have fun behind the camera. This is Tarantino trying to pay respect to the Hollywood he loves. As such, this feels like something more personal. Don't take that too seriously, though. This is still a very funny movie with plenty of fun inside.
If QT were to truly say goodbye to film making today, this would feel like an appropriate farewell. He pours a lot of love in what we see on screen, and more so than maybe any film, this feels especially personal to him. It's a tribute to everything Hollywood during a time when Hollywood was to change radically. If Reservoir Dogs marks Tarantino's dramatic entrance into Hollywood as one of its best indie directors, Once Upon A Time may stand as the kind of exit that only Tarantino could make.