Thoughts On Tarantino's "'Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood"

Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood (2019)
written and directed by Quentin Tarantino

I consider myself a fan of Quentin Tarantino, so I was really anticipating this one. I have to say, though, that I haven't always liked his output. This new one is touted as the director's ninth screen outing as writer/director. So let's see:
1. Reservoir Dogs. Saw it on video years after release. Enjoyed it.
2. Pulp Fiction. Saw it opening night at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Loved it.
3. Jackie Brown. This may be my favorite.
4. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 & 2. Loved it.
5. Death Proof. Have yet to see it all the way through, so no opinion.
6. Inglorious Basterds. Seen it. Was left cold.
7. Django Unchained. Liked it until the last quarter. Not anxious to see it again.
8. The Hateful Eight. Can take it or leave it. A slog that delivers its payoffs at a glacial pace.
And now
9. Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood.
While critics and folks whose film opinions I value have raves for it, I've been having trouble processing it.

The film took my expectations of what a Tarantino film is -- fast, witty, hip, and violent -- and didn't so much defy them but twist, thwart, and sidestep them. While still managing to be witty, hip, and violent. It's simply that the story is rendered at a different pace; the tale of how middling actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double turned friend and factotum Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) spend their days and nights in 1969 L.A. and ultimately cross paths with real-life starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) unspools in an episodic fashion, though -- unlike in Pulp Fiction -- Tarantino doesn't scramble the timelines.

See, our awareness of the timeline is pivotal in this picture. The previews for the film don't shy away from showing that these affable bros and their ethereally gorgeous neighbor are impacted by followers of infamous "Helter Skelter" psycho Charles Manson. Anyone who knows history is familiar with the gruesome Tate-LaBianca murders that horrified the country and cast a pall over the freewheeling Hollywood lifestyle that Tarantino so lovingly recreates here. Because of that, I spent my entire watch time at attention, waiting for the inevitable to happen, and of course, it does -- or does it? The conclusion left me emotionally exhausted and mentally confused. Also confusing to me was the intermittent use of a narrator. Was it an omniscient narrator? Or was the narration from a character in the story, because it sounded a lot like Kurt Russell (who plays a role) to me.

Once Upon A Time does offer numerous notable episodes, classic dialogues, monologues, moments of tension and chuckles along the way, as Dalton scrambles to keep himself from sliding into alcoholism and keep his acting career on a forward trajectory, while Booth is satisfied to run Dalton's errands and get his kicks stunt driving around L.A's sun dappled neighborhoods with the radio blasting the latest groovy pop rock hits (in classic QT style, the soundtrack is filled with gems from the Mama & the Papas, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Rolling Stones, Jose Feliciano, Deep Purple, Neil Diamond, and many others).

It's an era of spaghetti westerns and swinging 60s pseudo private eye stories, of flower power and political assassinations. Though it's a tale about the Hollywood lifestyle, and the film studio system that birthed it, the story is as much a tribute to the then-seminal medium of television as it is to movies. The film is crammed with details and homages, to goofy TV variety shows, the kind of Wolfman Jack radio DJs, inane radio jingles, the stern TV westerns and crime procedurals, the TV producer screen signatures, the Hollywood landmarks and institutions from Musso & Frank;s, the Brown Derby, Schwab's, El Coyote, the Cinerama Dome, the Pantages Theatre, the Capitol Building. Viewers who don't know the city may not get all of the references, including how far it is from Hollywood & Vine out to the abandoned film studio in Chatsworth where Manson's followers have taken up residence. It's fun to see how many real-life characters (Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Michelle Phillips, Mama Cass, Roman Polanski) and cameo appearances (Kurt Russell, Clu Gallagher, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, Luke Perry. Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Rumer Willis, Lena Dunham) are crammed into the flick.

As we watch their days unspool, we learn that Dalton is volatile, emotional, insecure, and often clueless; Booth is laconic, laidback, philosophical, and capable of explosive violence. They make a perfect odd couple, and it's a treat to see two men easily enjoy each other's company and not fret about their employer/employee status. Meanwhile, Tarantino gives a lighter touch to Tate, who after all was a real-life figure whose existence was cut short, so she does little but prance around the city looking beatific, as though she is a symbol of angelic purity in THE City of Angels. (<--- edited)

DiCaprio and Pitt have earned raves for their performances in this flick. DiCaprio is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest actors of his generation with an impressive number of roles under his belt, except I personally don't find him all that accessible as an actor. It's that little something that makes the audience identify with the actor as they take on the role; it's a quality that Denzel Washington and particularly Tom Hanks have in droves. It's a quality of magical engagement -- or charm, if you will. For all DiCaprio's skill, he leaves me cold.

Pitt, who has impressed me over the years as he's grown from a pretty face to an actor with some depth (Kalifornia, Moneyball, Snatch, Thelma & Louise, Fight Club) is far more engaging in my book. But truth be told, Pitt has done too many roles where he is called on to be the pretty, mysterious/sad brooder (Benjamin Button, Babel, Interview with A Vampire, A River Runs Through It, Meet Joe Black, the Ocean flicks).

If I had my druthers, I would have cast 50something Pitt as challenged actor Rick Dalton and made 40something DiCaprio play the iron-fist-in-a-velvet-glove Cliff Booth -- imagine the creative possibilities of that! Brad, world-weary, weepy and insecure, and Leo, caged fury with a smile.

As one of my movie compadres and I repeated to each other as we hashed it over, it's not that I don't like the film, exactly. I just may have to do a re-set on my expectations and watch again.