Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood REVIEW
Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood
Adrian Weber
"It's official old buddy, I'm a has been."
Spoilers.
Films as good as Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood only occur once - maybe twice - a year. So I had to write a longer review for it. This is a film only Quentin Tarantino could make first and foremost. The humor (this is the funniest movie I've seen this year) and tension throughout are cleverly written and directed meticulously. Done with great elegance, grand set pieces and stand out performances around the board, Quentin Tarantino remains one of the best modern collaborators of our time.
Margot Robbie makes for a fantastic Sharon Tate as she and Leonardo DiCaprio, who is as solid as ever playing Rick Dalton, make for interesting counterparts. Tate is gleeful and profoundly energetic for what her future holds as Dalton dreads for the unknown after seeing stardom for so long. However, Brad Pitt steals the limelight as Cliff Booth - Rick Dalton's stunt double. Pitt's presence on screen is confident like Durden and smooth like Bond. Get ready to see any (maybe all) of these performances recognized when award season comes rolling around.
I don't think there's another actor working today that could play Rick Dalton even half as well as Leonardo DiCaprio. Dalton is obviously prideful, his face is posted all over his property - however, he is a very vulnerable character and DiCaprio embodied it perfectly. Dalton's pursuit of relevance is not out of an entitled sense of mind. I, as well as you I'm sure, hope to never fade away into passive memory. Dalton starts to realize this path has been paved for him unless he constructs a new one. I loved Dalton's reaction to this realization. He took his role as "the heavy", the big mustache wielding Caleb, with utmost sincerity. A role he was warned about from Marvin Shwarz (Al Pacino) from taking too often. He practices his lines, beats himself up when he screws up, then absolutely nails his next scene. That whole progression was awesome to see on screen. DiCaprio's mannerisms and accent added so much to the believability of his character. I had to search 'Rick Dalton' on google because I though DiCaprio was attempting to embody a real person. DiCaprio's chemistry with Tarantino's characterization is on point here and is definitely enough to find him in the best actor conversation.
Margot Robbie isn't going to get enough credit for her role as Sharon Tate. Folks are out here counting lines and mad that she isn't "developed." The number of lines doesn't constitute good acting or a well developed character. This is lazy movie watching and you should consider your 'hypothesis rejected' as said bluntly by Tarantino. We are accustomed to regarding Sharon Tate as a victim of a horrid murder and we forget she was a young star with an up and coming career. It's unfortunate her legacy to most is being a victim. In OUATIH we see her as more than that. We see as she gleefully gets into a theatre for a free viewing of The Wrecking Crew where she plays "the klutz." It was touching to see her humbly delighted as the audience reacts joyfully to her performance in the film. Seeing how hopeful and optimistic she was makes it even more tragic since we know how it all ends for her. Tarantino does a fantastic job of presenting her as more than a victim and I commend him for it.
My favorite character of the movie, even though the other leads were outstanding as well, is Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth. Cliff is a very interesting character. He refrains from smoking while he's on the job - site the scene at the beginning of the film where he drives Rick to the bar to meet Shwarz - Rick gets out of the car and cigarettes spill out as he stands up then we get a mirrored shot of Cliff with not a single cigarette falling to the ground. He allegedly murdered his wife. He is hilarious in his responses to others and comments he makes to his dog and himself. He is so much fun to watch throughout the entire run time.
Kudos to Brad.
I wasn't expecting to laugh as much or as hard as I did when I walked into this movie. Quentin is witty, timely and subtle with the humor in OUATIH and his cast executes it wonderfully. It's sad how a drama is leagues funnier than any comedy film I've seen in recent recollection. I would also like to note the absolutely gripping scene at Spahn Ranch. I'm talking Zodiac basement and Sicario highway scene level of tension. I was stressing to the max for that entire scene. Magnificent. The final scene is a perfect combination of his great use of tension and timely humor - but I'm just going to let you see that for yourself.
This will be the fastest 2 hours and 45 minutes of your life, the pacing in this movie is so fluid. I would also like to make another note of the gorgeously epic sets in the film. Tarantino's attention to detail in this film is unparalleled by any other film this year. He completely immerses you in this era with his extravagant sets and perfect use of light. The sound design adds that special almost comic-like form of expression Tarantino loves so much and in no way is it absent here. The editing is also something I hope gets sufficient praise. The old TV programs and movies playing on the television sets through out the film are incorporated nicely. Especially The Great Escape cameo in which Rick Dalton replaces Steve McQueen thanks to amazing visual effects. It's so seamlessly done you only know it's green-screened because of context and if you've ever seen the iconic scene in The Great Escape.
A lot of people are saying this lacks an underlying theme and central message. I agree, but that doesn't work against the story. At it's core this is a great and thoroughly entertaining fictional story about two friends at the twilight of their careers in Hollywood, with the tragedy of Sharon Tate and Manson's cult working as the backdrop. When Rick tells Cliff he's a good friend it's genuine in delivery and you can feel that. It doesn't have to be complex to withstand time and become a classic. Staying power is built in the soul rather than the mind - and friendship is the soul's caretaker.
9.5/10
My favorite film of the year thus far.
Comment your thoughts on Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood below.
I don't think there's another actor working today that could play Rick Dalton even half as well as Leonardo DiCaprio. Dalton is obviously prideful, his face is posted all over his property - however, he is a very vulnerable character and DiCaprio embodied it perfectly. Dalton's pursuit of relevance is not out of an entitled sense of mind. I, as well as you I'm sure, hope to never fade away into passive memory. Dalton starts to realize this path has been paved for him unless he constructs a new one. I loved Dalton's reaction to this realization. He took his role as "the heavy", the big mustache wielding Caleb, with utmost sincerity. A role he was warned about from Marvin Shwarz (Al Pacino) from taking too often. He practices his lines, beats himself up when he screws up, then absolutely nails his next scene. That whole progression was awesome to see on screen. DiCaprio's mannerisms and accent added so much to the believability of his character. I had to search 'Rick Dalton' on google because I though DiCaprio was attempting to embody a real person. DiCaprio's chemistry with Tarantino's characterization is on point here and is definitely enough to find him in the best actor conversation. Margot Robbie isn't going to get enough credit for her role as Sharon Tate. Folks are out here counting lines and mad that she isn't "developed." The number of lines doesn't constitute good acting or a well developed character. This is lazy movie watching and you should consider your 'hypothesis rejected' as said bluntly by Tarantino. We are accustomed to regarding Sharon Tate as a victim of a horrid murder and we forget she was a young star with an up and coming career. It's unfortunate her legacy to most is being a victim. In OUATIH we see her as more than that. We see as she gleefully gets into a theatre for a free viewing of The Wrecking Crew where she plays "the klutz." It was touching to see her humbly delighted as the audience reacts joyfully to her performance in the film. Seeing how hopeful and optimistic she was makes it even more tragic since we know how it all ends for her. Tarantino does a fantastic job of presenting her as more than a victim and I commend him for it.
My favorite character of the movie, even though the other leads were outstanding as well, is Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth. Cliff is a very interesting character. He refrains from smoking while he's on the job - site the scene at the beginning of the film where he drives Rick to the bar to meet Shwarz - Rick gets out of the car and cigarettes spill out as he stands up then we get a mirrored shot of Cliff with not a single cigarette falling to the ground. He allegedly murdered his wife. He is hilarious in his responses to others and comments he makes to his dog and himself. He is so much fun to watch throughout the entire run time.
Kudos to Brad.
I wasn't expecting to laugh as much or as hard as I did when I walked into this movie. Quentin is witty, timely and subtle with the humor in OUATIH and his cast executes it wonderfully. It's sad how a drama is leagues funnier than any comedy film I've seen in recent recollection. I would also like to note the absolutely gripping scene at Spahn Ranch. I'm talking Zodiac basement and Sicario highway scene level of tension. I was stressing to the max for that entire scene. Magnificent. The final scene is a perfect combination of his great use of tension and timely humor - but I'm just going to let you see that for yourself.This will be the fastest 2 hours and 45 minutes of your life, the pacing in this movie is so fluid. I would also like to make another note of the gorgeously epic sets in the film. Tarantino's attention to detail in this film is unparalleled by any other film this year. He completely immerses you in this era with his extravagant sets and perfect use of light. The sound design adds that special almost comic-like form of expression Tarantino loves so much and in no way is it absent here. The editing is also something I hope gets sufficient praise. The old TV programs and movies playing on the television sets through out the film are incorporated nicely. Especially The Great Escape cameo in which Rick Dalton replaces Steve McQueen thanks to amazing visual effects. It's so seamlessly done you only know it's green-screened because of context and if you've ever seen the iconic scene in The Great Escape.
A lot of people are saying this lacks an underlying theme and central message. I agree, but that doesn't work against the story. At it's core this is a great and thoroughly entertaining fictional story about two friends at the twilight of their careers in Hollywood, with the tragedy of Sharon Tate and Manson's cult working as the backdrop. When Rick tells Cliff he's a good friend it's genuine in delivery and you can feel that. It doesn't have to be complex to withstand time and become a classic. Staying power is built in the soul rather than the mind - and friendship is the soul's caretaker. 9.5/10
My favorite film of the year thus far.
Comment your thoughts on Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood below.
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