I
debated seeing this one. I generally like Quentin Tarantino’s movies and I like
most of the actors in it, but the Bruce Lee stuff from the trailers, and the
subsequent discourse about it after the movie came out, turned me off. While I,
for the most part, like the rest of the film, “that scene” is every bit as uncomfortable
as I heard it was (more on that later.) Premise spoilers.
Fading
star Rick Dalton is anxious to keep his profile up in 1960s Hollywood. He’s
been downgraded from starring in movies to starring in TV shows to, now,
guest-starring in other people’s TV shows. While Rick tries to decide whether
he should keep wrestling with Hollywood or take an offer to make spaghetti
westerns in Italy, his stunt man/driver/handy-man Cliff gets tangled up in more
than he bargained for when he meets a beautiful young hippie in need of a ride.
The
second half of that summary doesn’t quite capture things. If you know anything
about the movie, you know it also involves Sharon Tate and Charles Manson, but
the different parts of the story don’t slide together very well. Although both
sides of the film are compelling, they feel like two different movies for the
most part, and even using the Manson cult as connective tissue between them, their
relevance to one another feels negligible. For me personally, I think I
would’ve rather seen a movie about Rick and Cliff or a movie about Sharon Tate, not both in the same story, at least
as it is.
But
again, looking at each part of the story separately, it’s all very well done.
Rick’s fears of falling out of relevance are familiar to any story about a
Hollywood star who’s not as famous as they used to be (hello, BoJack
Horseman!), but it’s still crafted superbly. The scenes of him acting,
desperately trying to hold it together and not blow whatever opportunities he
can scrape by, are especially good. I also really like the sprinkling of scenes
involving Sharon Tate, particularly the scenes of her watching herself in a
movie. Meanwhile, Cliff’s scenes at Spahn’s Movie Ranch maintain a great sense
of atmosphere and eeriness.
Of
course, there are plenty of familiar faces in the cast. In small roles, we get
Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino, Emile Hirsch, the late
Luke Perry, and Lena Dunham, plus Maya Hawke (less big-name, but I really
enjoyed her as Robin on the latest season of Stranger Things.) Really, though, the movie belongs to Leonardo
DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as Rick and Cliff, and small sections of it belong to
Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate. If I was going to pick a standout of the three,
I’d probably go with Robbie. Even though the role isn’t very big and doesn’t demand
that much of her, she plays it with so much spirit and warmth that I couldn’t
help but be drawn in by it.
This
one wracked up quite a few nominations. Best Picture, Director and Original
Screenplay (both for Tarantino,) Best Supporting Actor for Brad Pitt,
Cinematography, Costume and Production Design, and Sound Editing and Mixing, 10
in all. I have to say, having seen the film, I’m a little disappointed that
Brad Pitt seems to be the designated frontrunner for his race. Not because I
don’t like Brad Pitt – I’ve liked him for a long time – or because he isn’t
good here, because he is. But like with Robbie and Sharon Tate, it feels like a
part that doesn’t ask much from him, and I probably wouldn’t have taken special
notice of his performance if I hadn’t already known he was up for an Oscar.
Before
I go, I have to bring up a few more things. Tarantino is one of those directors
whose work it’s easier to like when you don’t know much about how he behaves,
and Emile Hirsch, who has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance as Charles
Manson, was convicted of violently assaulting a film executive at a party in
2015. And the Bruce Lee scene in this movie is so gross. I read a lot of the
conversation around it when the movie came out, including the interview that
Lee’s daughter gave on the subject, and seeing it in the movie is super
uncomfortable to watch.
Warnings
Graphic
violence, sexual references, drinking/smoking/drug use, and strong thematic
elements.
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