Quentin Tarantino's films generally fall into a few specific categories whether they're crime thrillers or Westerns, but his latest effort feels broader and less self contained. For better or worse this is an everything but the kitchen sink style effort, it's long and meandering, it's part comedy and part fiction meets period recreation. There may be some through-lines about washed up actors and real life celebrities at the end of an era but it's more of a patchwork of vignettes than any sort of lean narrative. Which means while his previous efforts may have felt loose and in need of a more ruthless editor this is by far his most sprawling tale. But how much of this really matters in terms of the overall entertainment factor is debatable.
As the saying goes, your mileage may vary. Which sums up the pacing of a film that spends way too much time soaking in the sights of 1960s Los Angeles from the driver's seat of a Cadillac. Which isn't to say the view isn't fascinating as various city streets have been painstakingly reconstructed in both full scale and miniature, but there comes a point when enough is enough. The director's obsession with feet may be well known (here done in a laughably self-aware fashion) but there are also plenty of gratuitous moments involving billboards and neon signs. Maybe you'll start to feel all this excess is too much, but for some it might be an enjoyably languorous ride.
This chilled out feeling extends to the tone of the narrative for the most part, as once popular TV actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) struggles to find work on the silver screen while also battling self doubt and alcoholism. He's followed around by his best friend and stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) who is more laid back about the whole situation having become Rick's chauffeur and general dogsbody after their success in show-business dried up. Meanwhile a series of real actors including Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis) watch the decade come to a close, unaware of the impending tragedy being orchestrated by cult leader Charles Manson (Damon Herriman).
These two worlds - the fictional exploits of Rick and the reality of the Mansion murders - are fairly disparate threads for the most part, but over time they do begin to collide. Much like Cliff's interactions with various real life figures there's a sense this is all a strange kind of Los Angeles fan-fiction. Which is a perfect excuse to play with history and explore the world of Hollywood behind the scenes as Rick pushes against the popularity of Italian Westerns and tries to regain his status. It's also a story that seems to poke fun at the idea that movies can have an effect on reality as the lines between Rick's movie exploits (as a Second World War hero or a Western villain) and his life begin to blur.
For the most part it's a pretty breezy experience as the characters go about their daily routines, with Rick rehearsing with a tape recorder and Sharon Tate going to parties and book stores. Some of the best moments are simply spending time with Cliff his expertly trained dog Brandy in a trailer behind a drive-in theatre. There also a lot of comedy cuts to flashbacks as characters think of past events, whether they're real or imagined. Again the line is blurred as fictional actors think of real casting choices that didn't go their way and even watch themselves guest star on real life TV shows. It's not a total farce by any means, but it's often a light hearted mixture of drama and fantasy.
That's not the whole story of course, and there's plenty of time spent building tension during several sequences most of which involve the Manson 'family'. There's a growing atmosphere of unease throughout the story, a sense that all this world like the decade itself is about to come to a close. A long time is spent with Cliff as he suspiciously explores their ranch home, a derelict Western set that feels symbolic both as a representation of his career and the inhabitants. Tarantino may have a reputation of sudden moments of extreme violence and memorable small talk, both which are present and correct here, but this is certainly a great example of the way his direction allows for a lot of suspense.
In the end the real life killers are not the focus here and are dismissed as 'dirty hippies' by both Rick and the story as a whole, robbing them of an kind of mystique. This is a film about movies and the people that made them, from a director who loves the subject matter and is able to tell this kind of story without restraint. It's often lethargic and self-indulgent but it's made with a lot of care and executed in a way that means it's hard to be upset when scenes go on for longer than they should. As a character piece or a period drama (or even just as an extended music video) it's just fun and often strangely relaxing to watch everything unfold at its own pace. In a movie landscape full of CGI punching fests, that's okay with me.
4/5
