Nostalgic Yet Fresh

Rating: 10/10 (7 August 2019)

I must admit I have not thoroughly enjoyed a Tarantino movie since Kill Bill so I approached Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with equal parts hope and hesitation. Not to say any of his movies are bad, far from it, they all have merit. It's just that I feel a lot of the modern Tarantino movies have been so over the top, polished, and indulgent that they almost become parodies of themselves. I prefer his more measured and rough around the edges freshman efforts. But my oh my, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was an absolute delight, and despite all the pretense with which I approached it, it felt like a breath of fresh air.
The movies plays out like a fictionalized historical piece about a very specific, very late 60s moment in American history. Woven in with the star-studded and morbid tale of Sharon Tate is a fading macho Hollywood front man and his almost super humanly capable stunt double. There characters are both firmly rooted in the nostalgia of the era while bringing some sense of realism by portraying the turpitude that likely would accompany the lives of people who may appear immortally cool on the big screen. Rick Dalton is deeply insecure about his acting abilities to the point of almost breaking down at the sign of his career descending, a far cry from the calm and collected presence he assumes when in character on set. His stunt double Cliff lives in a rundown trailer, probably killed his wife, and his combative personality has prevented him from achieving and true success. We like these characters but their flaws are out there for all to see and it paints them apart from the traditionally Hollywood protagonist but not to the point of become a more played out anti-hero archetype.
It also is no accident that they always seem to be driving against the arrows on the road, coughing while chain smoking, and drinking excessively to the point where their livers must look worse than their hangovers feel. They are physical embodiments of the era of fame and excess, but additionally they act as audience inserts into the real and horrifying story of Sharon Tate, which Tarantino weaves into the background with a great performance of innocent Hollywood love and kindness from Robbie. Perhaps most impressively is the fact that the story of Rick Dalton and Sharon Tate intertwine so seamlessly and despite its almost three hour runtime the movie never real drags or speeds to its conclusion. The construction is not as unique as some of his other works but it manages to feel fresh for a director so established, which really did impress me.
So we have this movie made about this nostalgic yet dangerous time in Californian history in the actual style of a nostalgic and warm movie from that era. It's a 60s Hollywood movie about Hollywood from the perspective of a fan living in 2019 if you will. It feels like an all too familiar dreamland, on the edge of parody, and as such it achieves some truly humorous moments with a little biting social commentary sprinkled in. And in old Hollywood fashion by the end of the film the heroes are heroes and the heavies are the heavies. Absent violence it is not, but it does not indulge to the fanatical excesses of his previous work. It is markedly mature. I anticipated a far more gory and dark ending, a possible condemnation of the romanticized Hollywood of the past, but it ended far more subtly (and in my opinion properly). The final scene had me on the edge of my seat and then in stitches and was probably my favorite in the whole film.
DiCaprio and Pitt are just perfectly cast. I cannot think of a single criticism of there work here. In particular the scenes where DiCaprio plays Dalton playing a villain on the set of a western impressed me greatly. Not that he needs validation from me but he is a real talent. I am also not sure how anyone could doubt the ability of Robbie at this point in her career, here she gives a life to the role of Sharon Tate that was sorely needed. It added gravity and a sense of stakes to the ending sequence. And what can I say about Pitt, he oozes cool to the point where you actually believe he could kick Bruce Lee's ass.
With Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Tarantino has solidified his already towering mark on modern film, while at the same time sending a love letter to the Hollywood of yesteryear, the town that has given him so much. Like Tate in the theater watching her own movie, you can feel the joy and love he gets from working on his craft, and that passion has garnered his movies rightful praise. I love Los Angeles, I love the movies, and I love this one in particular, it's far from flawless but in my eyes it is a 10/10.