A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….

By Tom Pacak

Almost two months after seeing Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to 60s cinema, I can confirm that “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is easily my second favorite Tarantino film and easily one of the year’s best films. Some Tarantino fans may be disappointed that the film doesn’t include the over the top violence and clever dialogue seen in such classics as “Pulp Fiction” and “Inglorious Basterds.” Instead, life long fans and even outsiders get to see a filmmaker who’s evolved into a more mature director. Here, Tarantino has used the late 60s during the Mansion murders as a backdrop to create a fictional version of Hollywood only he knows. Tarantino puts into every frame how much he loves the industry from the 1960s Westerns that shaped his career, to the great 60s commercials you listen to every time a character is driving around, and even his imagination of how the Manson murders happened. This is a very profound and poignant film about failure, redemption, and old Hollywood.

75% of the film takes place on a February weekend in 1969; we follow a TV actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Rick claims he keeps Cliff around as his stuntman but a hilarious Kurt Russell as the narrator shuts that down quick with “That’s a big fucking lie.” It’s later revealed Rick got too many drunk driving tickets and now has to be driven around everywhere. Rick used to be apart of a successful 1950s TV Western called Bounty Law. Now stuck in a rut, casting agent Marvin Schwarzs (Al Pacino) advises him to start doing Spaghetti Westerns. The only problem is these Westerns feel way beneath Rick’s pay grade. If he doesn’t do these Westerns, he’ll be stuck playing minor roles such as the cop who arrests a robber in a Hollywood flick.

Cliff, on the other hand, has never had a shot at Hollywood in the first place. A rumor of him killing his own wife and an amazing clash with an over cocky Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) has plagued whatever shot he had at making a name for himself.  What I really love about this movie is how Tarantino never reveals if Cliff actually killed his wife. There’s a lot of evidence that he did kill his wife and a lot of evidence that he didn’t. His love for his dog and Rick points to the latter. This little detail is like the briefcase in “Pulp Fiction.” Nobody truly knew what was inside the briefcase but fans today still discuss. Either way, this is one of those details that I’m ok with not knowing the full story behind it. The mystery makes it more interesting.

Bruce Lee isn’t the only celebrity portrayed in the Tarantino verse. Several iconic 60s actors intertwine in the storyline from James Stacy (Timothy Olyphant), Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis), and Wayne Maunder (the late Luke Perry). The most controversial figures shown are Rick’s neighbors Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Several critics have critiqued Sharon Tate’s limited screen time and lines but I’m not going to do that. We get several scenes of Sharon dancing at parties and in her house to show Tate as a metaphor of innocence Hollywood once had before the evil tragedy the Manson family committed. History and fiction intertwine in a great scene that shows Sharon going to the famous Bruin theater to watch her herself in her recently released movie “The Wrecking Crew.” The thing that’s interesting about this scene is it’s the actual Sharon Tate on the screen, not Margot Robbie.

Not only is this film very sincere about old Hollywood, but it’s also a blast watching a film only Tarantino and his great cast and crew could make. Watching Tarantino pull out every 60s movie reference in the book is every film buffs movie heaven. I already know I can’t wait to watch it again to spot all of them.  It’s also really fun watching two of Hollywood’s biggest actors (Pitt and DiCaprio) play nobodies in an industry they’ve dominated in real life.  DiCaprio is in prime form when he plays goofy and weird (see Wolf of Wall Street).  Here, he gets to dig deep in a man who’s trying to find his way in an industry that decided to move on without him. Hilarious scenes of DiCaprio purposely hamming up as a bad actor are fun to watch, but it’s the scenes that show vulnerability that make this performance unforgettable. An honest breakdown in front of a rising childhood actor (Julia Butters) made me tear up. Pitt is tremendous as a hard ass and overall sincere guy. Pitt’s best scene is an intense moment at Spahn Ranch where the famous Manson cult was known to hang around. This scene plays out brilliantly as a mini short film in the Tarantino verse.

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is definitely Tarantino’s first time going soft on us. He wants to show us his version of history and how it impacted his career. He also wants to show us how much he despises the Manson cult and what they did. In no way shape or form does he glamorize these evil people. Instead, he shows them as stupid and evil people who take away the wrong messages of watching movies. I won’t get into spoilers but you’ll be cheering the way Tarantino handles his version of the Manson murders. You’ll also be left thinking about the film’s conclusion about how Tarantino gave us his version of Hollywood and how it’s much different than reality. You’ll be left wondering if Hollywood could have kept its innocence if the events at the Tate residence never happened.

Star rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Letter Grade: A+