REVIEW: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Corpus Christi, TX. Flour Bluff High School. 2013.

I'm scuffling through a grim hallway, overcrowded by kissing couples and thoughtless walkers. AP Stats is my destination (unfortunately) and I somehow manage to claw my way through the mob of strangers a bit early.

Me and Cristian Requenez initiate the ritual.

"Sup?" "Hey."

"Do we have a quiz?" "Next week."

"I freaking hate this class." "Eh..."

Once that's complete all are free to move about the cabin.

Chris is a year older than me but always easy to talk to. The topic of our conversations ebb and flow to all sorts of things - God, Mexican Food, Connect 4. Often we end up coming back at the same well: movies. Specifically the works of Quentin Tarantino.

Christian was (and is) a Tarantino acolyte. I was a Tarantino doubter. A passionate one.

You see dear reader, my experience with the likes of Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Bastards had tarnished my entire perception of the filmmaker. They were my only reference points, sure, but do you really need to eat 3 different kinds of tomatoes to know you don't like tomatoes?

The dialogue and cinematography were undeniably excellent in these 2 films. He had me there. But the off the wall plots and unnecessary violence barred me from becoming a true believer. I felt like Tarantino was a director who had vision, but his vision plowed through his story and left an unsatisfying product. Everything was a little too loose to feel complete and a little too bombastic to emotionally connect. If he could just reign it in a teensy bit I’d be on board… but I couldn't tell if he could. It’s a complaint I still somewhat hold to this day.

Maybe that opinion makes me uncultured?

I've always been one to advocate for a strong narrative (over tone and themes) to the chagrin of my film-y friends. They tend to celebrate people who get a little more dangerous with the rules. The Coen brothers for example. Noah Baumbach. All great artists in their own right but not exactly my cup of tea. I'd like to say that means I know my own taste but calling me pedestrian is probably closer to the truth.

Anyway, Christian wasn't the only Tarantino acolyte in my life. Plenty of people tried to hook me on the religion.

"Oh, but you'll LOVE Kill Bill. Everyone loves Kill Bill." - Volume 1 is great but Volume 2? I dunno.

"Django is unlike anything he's ever made! Go watch Django!" - I mean, I did. It's alright.

"Reservoir Dogs?"

Azusa, CA. Azusa Pacific University. 2015. 

As I make my way up to Engstrom Hall there is a noticeable lack of crowds. Lines sure, but crowds? Not really. I sorta miss that. Nothing is spontaneous at APU. I have an itinerary for everything. 3 hours homework, 2 hours for chapel, and 2 hours for lunch, dinner, and free time. At least in high school I got to sit with friends in the cafeteria and go home at 4. I open my dorm room and mysterious college funk immediately mixes with the smell of my off-brand Chipotle burrito. It's been a long day. Most days back then were.

At this point I have 2 options:

1. Shirk my responsibilities and unwind

2. Die

Netflix comes to life and I select the first movie in my action recommended. Reservoir Dogs. I knew it was Tarantino but at this point I was too zonked to care…and it was great. Action. Drama. Some of the most iconic characters of all time. How could I not love this movie?

It has the structure of a BMX race, leaping from point to point with a sense of total chaos, but never once was I confused about what was going on. There was a clear intent that I could get lost in. The music, the performances, the tension. By the finale I could feel my own heartbeat in tips of my ears. BAM!

That ending.

Reservoir Dogs had such a tight narrative that it made me take a closer look at a director I wasn’t a fan of. It was like everything lined up. I could accept the intent of Tarantino’s violence as zany rather than grotesque, I could take in the loose-ness just a bit more, and while my overall opinion of his work hadn’t changed, I could understand a lot better why others were obsessed with him. I wanted to watch more. There were better tomatoes out there.

You could practically hear the acolytes cheer in delight.

Mokena, IL. Emagine Entertainment Theater. 2019.

The parking lot is fairly empty as I trick my broken windshield wipers into shutting off. It's a Tuesday night, say, 10pm. Free popcorn for Emagine members.

Ticket. Concession. Previews.

I settle into my cushy adjustable recliner as a family of 4 chatters in the seats next to me. My life has changed a lot since 2015. I am completely unscheduled in every way so I don’t miss that anymore. I miss other, stupider things. Like off-brand Chipotle.

"I didn't know Brad Pitt was in this?!" echoes throughout the room as the opening score rises.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is my most recent foray into Tarantino’s work and also my most complex experience to date.

The time period is crafted beautifully. You can find the aesthetic of the early 70s in everything be it the production design or general character interaction. It’s not just a single facet of the early 70s either; flower children, rock n’ rollers, businessmen, Tarantino captures a rainbow of Americana in this and easily sucks you into his world.

Structurally its the most ambitious writing feat I've ever seen from him. Incredibly strong theming anchors a narrative that’s borderline nonsensical for the first 2 acts. The spirit of Los Angeles envelops each scene: how Hollywood bounces back and forth between dreams and reality, its relationship with audiences, the way it treats its alumni, you get all that and more. The constant start-stop of storylines made me a bit road sick towards the midpoint but the film manages to stick the landing amidst this sea of random vignettes so stay with it. It certainly feels like a complete story so that was a WONDERFUL surprise!

Unfortunately there were several elements that made sense themeatically/tonally but distracted from the compelling narrative. In other words: it’s still a Tarantino movie.

The foot/underage fetishizing for example makes sense given the whole L.A. angle but it’s also unbelievably creepy. Same thing goes for a lot of the violence and other crass sequences. I saw these moments, and I could understand them, but they still made me gag a little.

There’s a point where sex, gore, and camp hinder experience rather than help it. Everyone has different levels on this, but Once Upon a Time I Hollywood crossed my line. Tarantino has this really smart set of characters doing all sorts of creative things but then gets mired in these few scenes that are tasteless at best and a placation to what they’re parodying at worst. Again, it sucks because I feel like with a few small changes I'd be on board, but with a few small changes, it wouldn't be Tarantino.

That said, the Charlie Manson stuff is able to escape this critique. There’s almost a sense that Quentin is laughing at those who wanted him to make an edgy scene based on grisly true events.

Instead the Manson family is used to emphasize how absurd the Hollywood ideal is. A slice of abhorrent realism to emphasize our lust for fantasy. I couldn’t be happier with how ridiculous he makes the “family” look and related to the sequence all too well.

So yeah. I’m up in the air on this one.

I’ve had an odd relationship with the work Quentin Tarantino for a while now and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood continues that legacy. I can’t wholly love this film like I do Reservoir Dogs, but I don’t dislike it in the way I dislike Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill: Volume 2. It’s great in some ways and bad in others. The equivalent of your 2nd favorite brand of soda at a lukewarm temperature.

3.5/5


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