Set in the late 60’s in Hollywood, this film follows actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they traverse Dalton’s professional and personal life.
Known for his portrayal of tough guys and cowboys, Rick Dalton is an actor with talent and an unfortunate fading spotlight. Once the hero, he now fights to be the bad guy to stay above water in the acting world. His friend and driver Cliff used to be a premiere stunt man until some professional choices and personal history shaded his glow. Together they plot and dream of capturing the magic of Hollywood, once again.
On her own journey is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), an actress on the rise that is on her way to capturing some magic for herself. With a celebrity Director husband and powerful friends, she looks to be able to do no wrong.
The other star of this film is the summer of 69′, as it sings throughout Hollywood. Free love and peace reside within those willing to live by those tenets, but history teaches us that sometimes jealousy and murderous intent was the purview of the day. The glamour of the red carpet can feed the ego, but it can also feed the anger of those unlucky enough to live in its sparkling lights.
This story, much like most of Quentin Tarantino’s stories are driven by character alone. Which isn’t a bad thing, as this film points out. Dicaprio and Pitt are in rare form delivering singular characters that acting students will study for years to come. A twisted history lesson is also not a new vehicle for Tarantino, as he has driven new timelines to the box office in years past. His recreation of the tone and time of the period is second-to-none as you wait for another glimpse of Hollywood’s past or the inventiveness of planning and execution to recreate one-of-a-kind shots.
This film is pure Tarantino, with the heights and pitfalls therein. His creation of story and characters deliver so much realism that nothing is questioned and the audience has little choice but to go along for the ride. Filled with Oscar worthy performances, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a dark and narcissistic tale with few heroes and many shades of grey beyond. Watch this film if you are a fan of film as an art, a fan of Tarantino’s tilted view of history, or, if you want to see deep characters with imperfect perfections deliver honest performances in the middle of bombastic situations.
Grade: B+
Running Time: 2hr 41m
MPAA Rating: R
Review
Rating
RN review of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Inventive and artistically sound, this film may be too much for the average movie goer. Oscar will definitely attend though!