Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Ten Second Review: While a few fun moments might keep you alert, this Hollywood love letter doesn’t reach the level of craft we’ve to expect from Tarantino.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood had about as much hype as a film can have. Edge to edge five star reviews and sound bites like “a heady, engrossing, kaleidoscopic, spectacularly detailed nostalgic splatter collage of a film”. And I get it. If you pick up all the tid bits the film throws you’ll get plenty of those little pangs viewers get from understanding cultural references. “I know that, I’m clearly on Tarantino’s level, I get him! This is all so clever.” The thing is, a film can be clever, interesting, referential and funny while still being a little boring.
Rick Dalton was a big name, but the past tense says it all. Making a living picking up bit parts as bad guys, the ageing actor is far from his prime days. Meanwhile, young new actress Sharon Tate has just moved into the house next door. The film gently follows the story of these two parallel lives, along with Rick’s stunt double, Cliff, through 1969.
I’m just gonna kick this off by saying this film is too long. The interesting dialogue and expertly constructed scenes are interspersed with long and drawn out sections. I fully understand that these scenes are littered with well made set design and referential quips, but at some point it needs to be said that that alone does not make a good film.
Tarantino’s tone of voice does make it through but it feels filtered through an expectation of excellence. We are so ready to be wowed by his level of craft that when it falls short you either balance it in your head as “not that bad” or “the next bit will be better” or you’re taken aback by seeing a chink in the armour of the great writer.
Don’t misunderstand, there are plenty of enjoyable moments, filled with classic quick Tarantino dialogue and well placed messages about our current times, but I think the expectation gets in the way. When it’s good it’s great, when it’s not, it’s really hard to stay engaged. Something like Bad Times at The El Royale is a perfect case of a film that is arguably too long but that holds your attention. The problem is the parts where Once Upon a Time in Hollywood loses you, you really get tired of it.
When you’ve left and you’ve had a little moan about the length, you’ll only be left with a memory of the bits you enjoyed. The pain in that is Tarantino, and the superb work of the actors, manages to trick you into believing the film is good. It’s mid tier in the scheme of his filmography but still far better than a lot of what’s on offer at the moment.
