Once Upon a Time in Hollywood-- book review by Justin G.

 

 

 

 

 

Once Upon a time in Hollywood was released in 2019 and was the 9th film released by Acclaimed Writer/ Director Quentin Tarantino. The expectations for this film were high and it certainly met them, earning praise from both critics and audience members as well as winning several academy awards. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's positive reception made people even more excited for Tarantino’s tenth project, which in a surprising turn of events, was revealed to be a book. Tarantino released his debut novel entitled Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earlier this year, and it proved that Quentin Tarantino has a future as an author and that he can be more than just a scriptwriter.

 

 

When Tarantino said that this novelization was a complete rethinking of the story of the movie he was not wrong. Once Upon a Time in

Hollywood (the novel) is more of an ultimate directors cut to the movie than it is a novelization of the script. Massive elements of the story are changed in the novel and only about 30 percent of the movie's story is carried over. The rest of the book is made up of completely new story segments or reused scenes that are altered heavily and are almost unrecognizable. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (from now on I will be referring to the novel unless specifically stated) is a period piece buddy comedy set in 1969 Hollywood. The late sixties and early seventies were a period of change in Hollywood. Many actors who were once prominent were beginning to fade into obscurity and new “method actors” were taking their place. Old school westerns and over the top war movies dominated the sixties and when Hollywood began to shift, many of the prominent actors who starred in these types of movies were left behind. At the same point in time a much darker shift was occurring in Hollywood. Hippy culture and the counterculture revolution began to rise. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is set amongst this backdrop as it tells the story of how all these issues would combine to change history on one infamous night.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood could be best described as an anthology book. It combines several different stories that interweave and combine to end up telling the story of the fall of 1960s Hollywood. Rick Dalton is a failing actor who is forced to take up a guest role in a tv show called Lancer after his movie acting career falls apart. His life is forever changed when he is offered a job to film spaghetti westerns in Italy by his producer Marvin. This leads Dalton through a path of self-discovery as he learns to take his future into his own hands and learns to survive in the changing world of Hollywood. Cliff Booth was a war hero in World War 2. Booth came back to the states a broken man and was unable to find a career. He traveled the world attempting to secure many different jobs but with no luck. He eventually met a famous actor

named Rick who convinced Cliff to become his stunt double. With Rick’s career failing, Cliff finds himself struggling to make a living and he becomes Rick’s chauffeur and handyman to make ends meet. Sharon Tate is a rising actor who is married to famed director Roman Polanski. Sharon Tate represents the Hollywood Dream. She moved to Hollywood with no money at all and she rose into stardom becoming one of the most promising up and coming actors in all of Hollywood. Polanski and Tate live on Cielo Dr which just so happens to be the same street where Rick Dalton resides. Charles Manson is a failed musician who managed to convince a group of young hippies to worship him. They took residence at Spahn movie ranch, an old movie set where Western tv shows used to be shot. Coincidentally Cliff Booth used to film westerns on this same movie ranch when he worked as a stuntman, and he was even friends with the owner, George Spahn. While many of these characters are fictional, Charles Manson and Sharon Tate are not, and the book is permeated with a level of suspense, especially if you are aware of the real-life events that took place at Cielo Dr on August 8th of 1969. The story of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a fascinating one. The way it is told and the characters present in the story make it very unique and a novel that is not easily put down.

The biggest strength of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the characters and the development they go through. Rick Dalton is a broken man who must learn to face the fact that he is a failure. One specific passage sees him reciting a passage that he had read in an old western dime novel about a cowboy who is old now and past his prime. This causes him to have a breakdown and you really sympathize with his character at this moment. Sharon Tate is also very likeable. She seems very carefree and relaxed all throughout the novel, and it makes her inevitable fate very heartbreaking. Tarantino also writes characters that are not so likeable, such as Charles Manson who of course committed one of the most heinous crimes in history. While his character is mocked and condemned, Tarantino did not take the easy way out, as he developed his character extensively and you get to learn a lot about his past. While all of those characters are very well written, Cliff Booth is one of the best characters that has ever been put to paper. Cliff Booth is not a good person. He has committed several unspeakable crimes and yet his character is so fascinating to learn about and the chapters about Cliff’s backstories were easily the highlights of the book. The characters in this book are so well developed and by the end you know even the most minute details about them. You even get an entire chapter dedicated to the backstory of Cliff’s Dog, and it’s great.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has many things going for it, but literary value is not one of them. While the novel is very entertaining, it lacks any deeper meaning. There is a message in the book about the changing environment of Hollywood, but it is not all that prevalent. While the book is very lacking in the thematic relevance, this book does excel in its use of allusions. There are a lot of allusions in this book, mainly to movies and actors of the time period, but also to pop culture. Aside from the allusions, this book has very little literary value. However, that does not mean that the book is bad, most of Tarantino's projects put style over substance, and this is no exception.

In general, the book is great, but it is not without issues. Some sections of the book seem more like Tarantino ranting than characters talking, but these sections are few and far between. The book also goes into much more detail than the movie, and this can both help and hurt the book, as sometimes the things that are being described feel more disturbing and uncomfortable than they needed to. There are also a lot of obscure references in this book that most likely will go over the reader’s heads. This is not a negative, but more of a stylistic choice that some people will like, and others will not. These complaints are relatively small, and they do not hurt the book very much at all.

 

All in all, would I recommend the book? Well sort of. If you are a fan of Tarantino or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (the movie) then it is a must read. It is so much more than just a novelization of the movie’s script and you will most likely enjoy this book if you enjoyed the movie. If you are not a fan of Tarantino, then this book will not change your mind. If you have never seen a Tarantino film or have never heard of Tarantino, I would recommend watching all his movies, as they are all great, but only Once Upon a Time in Hollywood must be watched before this book is read. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (the movie) is most well-known for its insane plot twist that will leave you in awe when the credits roll, and the book assumes that you already know this plot twist. Because the ending of the movie is spoiled early on in the book you must watch the movie first. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a great book. It is a quick read, and it checks all the boxes that you would want from a Tarantino book. It is very entertaining, and despite being rough around the edges (as is expected as this is Tarantino’s first book) it is solid. I would give it an 8/10 and a solid recommendation if you are a fan of Tarantino’s movies.