A One of a Kind Fairytale

Rating: 9/10 (26 August 2019)

Once Upon a Time in the West, Quentin Tarantino's newest film is both his most mature film to date, yet it's also him at his most indulgent. This movie is unrestrained in what it's trying to achieve, which is to write a love letter to a very specific time in Hollywood history and to a very specific type of actor in Hollywood history. It's a movie about changing times and the death of an era, which also works in a way as a kind of 'meta' commentary on the state of film today.
This movie is about, well, I wouldn't be too inclined to say that it's about any one thing in particular, other than painting a picture of late 1960's Hollywood and the people who were a part of it. However, at the forefront there's Rick Dalton, played by Leo, who's the very specific type of actor I alluded to earlier and his stunt double, Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt. Dalton's character is a stuttering smoking alcoholic, who finds himself feeling more and more useless as things start to change in the world around him. He starts to realize, very early on in the film, that the kind of characters he plays, which are basically the bad guys in Western TV shows that serves as the guy who gets killed or gets his ass kicked by the hero at the end of the episode. And he realizes that his career may be in for some rough patches in the future. On the other hand, Booth, is more of a laid-back character, kind of like "The Dude", someone who doesn't really worry too much about anything, but just goes with the flow of things.
As expected, the performances by not just Leo and Pitt are phenomenal here, but pretty much everyone involved with this film is great. Pacino shows up and has some standout moments on screen, Dakota Fanning, and every performance here is great. There's a little girl who plays an actress in the film, and she was also fantastic. Great casting and acting overall. Let's talk about Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate for a second here because she's in the movie, but she doesn't really have much to do here. Of course, in real life, Sharon Tate was horrifically murdered and perhaps Tarantino wanted to include her in here for a couple of reasons, maybe #1 to honour her memory and #2 as a kind of set up for the ending. For those of us who knew her terrible fate at the hands of some of the members of the Manson family, the final act of the movie is almost told like a crime show with Kurt Russell narrating the events of the night. And it is a crime retelling, expect the ending here is very much like the ending of Inglourious Basterds, where it's a rewriting of history. But it seems that Sharon Tate's character is in the movie solely for this ending, because she really doesn't do much in the film and has very minimal dialogue. Margot Robbie is good here with what she's given, though.
The movie jumps back and forth between situations, much like Pulp Fiction, but I think that movie is more about great dialogue and situations that in some way or another bring all of the characters together in the end. Here, I think the focus was more on painting a portrait of 1960's Hollywood. And in doing that, this movie is a success. The set designs, the extras, making L.A. seem like it's 50 years ago, it looks real and Tarantino did a wonderful job at recreating this particular time in film and TV history. And I think that this movie is definitely Tarantino at his most mature, and has the most command over what he's trying to show us and make us feel. If you just go along for the ride, without complaining too much about the lack of a definitive structure, I think the situations presented here are wonderful and compelling, even though there is a noticeable lack of tension throughout the film, except for the one scene where Brad Pitt goes to the Manson Ranch, which is one of the best scenes in the movie and the final act, which is phenomenal. And I think this lack of tension would be a detriment in a more conventional movie, but this really is more of a hang-out movie, akin to the likes of a Big Lebowski or I've even heard one comparison made to Seinfeld. Because this movie isn't about anything in particular, other than painting this picture of this era.
This movie will of course, draw the attention of many people and it will be divisive, not just for the ending, but because overall lack of structure in the film. Like I said, Tarantino is at his most mature here, but his childish excitement and love for film is extremely apparent here and I do think this is his most "Tarantino" movie to date, it seems like he made the movie entirely for himself. And I don't think this is a bad thing. His movies are always original, different and I truly hope he doesn't stop at 10 films, because he's one of the very few original voices left in big budget movies that aren't sequels, remakes or reboots. Sometimes this film does feel like he goes a bit too far in certain directions with his "Tarantino-isms". But I would not want it any other way. This is an artist, and film is his way of expressing his art. And even if it's not perfect, often overblown and unrestrained, I do believe Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, in due time, will go down as the director's flawed masterpiece.
Mike Stoklasa, from his Half in the Bag review, mentioned that this movie was #2 at the box office on its opening weekend, second only to a movie you've already seen before, starring CGI lions, which is quite literally (pretty much) the same movie you've seen before, and even though this movie has a bunch of A-listers and it's directed by one of the biggest Hollywood directors of all time, the vast majority of the public respond to blind nostalgia. It's a clear sign that the times have changed. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, even if Tarantino intended it or not, may prove to be very relevant to today's film industry, in the sense of the end of an era. Some people called Sharon Tate's death the "symbolic death of the 60's,'' representing a kind of death of innocence in the American public. She survives in this film and perhaps Tarantino's message is one of hope. The ending of the film, feels quite literally like the ending of a fairy tale, with the font you would use on a Cinderella storybook. Hopefully, in this politically correct world we live in today, there will still be a spot for filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, someone who will simply make his movie without holding back, disregarding any type of pandering to any kind of social group, so that film lovers like myself, can enjoy it in all its glory.