Film Review: Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood
“When people ask me if I went to film school, I say ‘no, I went to films’” — Quentin Tarantino
Blustery, bloated and blasphemous — I thoroughly enjoyed Quentin Tarantino’s latest film despite being over-long and a bit… over-kill. We have come to expect this from the modern day auteur, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is classic Tarantino in all the best ways In this, his purported penultimate film, non-linear narratives, schtick violence, satire and social commentary, and long, languid language abound. My god, does this man love dialogue! The characters indulge in lengthy speeches as if they have all the time in the world and the film is the better for it.
A little gab fest between Tarantino favorites Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio.
The plot takes a tootle or two and meanders around a lush and nostalgic homage to Hollywood at the end of the 1960s. Historic figures provide the backdrop for fictitious characters, played with depth and warmth by Pitt and DiCaprio and relate a bittersweet tale of Hollywood at the end of an era. The collapse of the Hays Code, and with it the studio system resulted in the creative space which gave us the industry’s second golden age and the films a young Tarantino idolized.
Those too young to never have slept with a copy of Helter Skelter under their bed, may not appreciate the exquisite tension Tarantino expertly builds in scenes with Charles Manson or at Spahn Ranch; or all the other real life characters who pop-up in this large ensemble cast. My favorites? Dakota Fanning as Squeaky Fromme and Dreama Walker as Connie Stevens. Margot Robbie is her usual luminescent self as Sharon Tate, capturing her girlish humility in an indulgent scene at a movie theatre, and every other scene in which she appears.
Tarantino also serves up yet another perfect play list. His ability to capture the mood of a specific time period, dishing up Billboard #3s instead of the obvious hits, flesh out this bittersweet, hopeful and horrific tale.
Once Upon a time in… Hollywood, though grounded in the real world is ultimately a fairy tale created by one very grim filmmaker. One famous for outlandish, though often comedic brutality. The splatter and violence checked and restrained, Tarantino’s characters are forefronted and allowed to spin a very satisfying tale. Do they live happily ever? Treat yourself and go see for yourself.
