Does This Movie Hold Up?
The answer to that question is an astounding yes! Keep in mind that I went into this movie with real high expectations so the fact that it surpasses those expectations with flying colors should tell you how amazing this movie is. I am still in love with the characters, the Tarantino dialogue, the stand out performances by both Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, and how seamlessly the story kind of intertwined at certain spots. Only Tarantino knows how to draw you into the story and over deliver on pretty much everything else. The first time I saw this movie I fell in love almost instantly because of how different the movie was compared to everything else I happened to be watching at the time. The introduction had me hooked and this movie just didn’t want to let me go until the credits decided to show. After watching Tarantino’s latest film, I decided to go back to a movie I used to watch every other day and I have to say that I love this movie even more today than I did back when I first saw it. It was a hell of a lot funnier listening to Vincent (played by John Travolta) prattle on about foot massages to his partner, Jules (played by Samuel L. Jackson) and his conversation with Mrs. Wallace (played by Uma Thurman) at Jack Rabbit Slims felt organic. The dialogue in this movie is truly mesmerizing because many scenes just involve two characters talking to one another and it felt real, like there was no acting involved anywhere in this film. That’s the thing about Tarantino’s writing! He knows how people talk and it definitely shows in the script since I couldn’t think of one scene where it felt like an actor was just reading their lines to get to the next scene. I felt like I was hanging out with a bunch of ordinary people half the time, the other half laughing my ass off at how funny the dilemmas were. Alright, you know I love this movie, so how about I tell you a bit about the plot?
The Plot To Pulp Fiction
This is pretty tricky to talk about without giving away spoilers, so I will keep this as brief as possible. The story is about a bunch of wily characters who happen to cross paths at a certain point in the film. In this world, there is a powerful boss (played by Ving Rhames) who instructs a boxer named Butch (played by Bruce Willis) to take a dive in a fight, a couple of henchmen who have to retrieve a briefcase for the big boss man, and a certain big boss man’s wife who is a failed actress and needs to be taken care of while the boss man is out of town on business. Yeah, this movie is really difficult to explain because the movie doesn’t follow the basic three act structure. This is one of those movies that starts off at one point, then jumps forward, and then back again. It is by no means following a chronological order so trying to explain the plot is like trying to watch a Fifty Shades movie without exploding, impossible. The film is a collection of stories that happen to cross paths in an entertaining, tension driven way and there is no other film like it! It is damn near impossible to go into further detail without giving away spoilers, so I strongly advise you to see the film for yourself to come up with your own opinion. I am here to inform you on whether the film is worth buying or not, so after you finish up my article, make sure you go out and buy it. Okay, now that the plot is taken care of, I will get into what kicks ass about this movie!
The Good
- Tarantino’s dialogue seems so organic! It’s almost like the actors weren’t reading from a script, but rather being themselves on set.
- The film has grit! If you ever wanted to know what a person looks like when they are overdosing on a drug then you will get your chance in this film. This surprised me when I first saw it because of how graphic the movie gets at times. There is a scene where Vincent jabs a needle into his arm to get high and I couldn’t help but get a little squeamish. Hey, I hate needles…
- The characters are absolutely fantastic! I loved every single one of them, with my personal favorite being Vincent Vega. All of these characters were so easy to relate to since most of them act like ordinary people aside from an occasional drug overdose. The scene at Jack Rabbit Slims was phenomenal and I strongly believe if you are on the ropes about watching this film then you should watch that scene and it will tell you all you need to know about the film. The interaction between Uma Thurman and John Travolta is top notch and I couldn’t get enough of them on screen. Their chemistry was incredible, as was most everybody else in the film.
- The pacing made a 2 and a half hour long movie feel shorter than it actually was. There was not one scene that felt pointless and even moments that can be considered padding felt relevant given the character’s situation.
- This movie has so many memorable scenes that can easily stand the test of time! It’s not often where you get a film where the majority of the movie is based solely on the interactions between characters, making every line of dialogue iconic. All you have to do is look up Pulp Fiction on YouTube and you will get at least ten great scenes of a few people talking. You might be saying to yourself, “Talking, that’s it” but just watch them and you will see what I am talking about. The lines are so quotable!Tarantino’s dialogue seems so organic! It’s almost like the actors weren’t reading from a script, but rather being themselves on set.
The Bad
I could really only think of one thing that takes me out of this movie. It could be a minor nitpick but I honestly hated the actress portraying Butch’s girlfriend. Her voice is so irritating to me and it completely put the movie on hold for me. Her scene goes on for five minutes and the more she talked, the more I wanted to put my fist through the screen. I might be the only one who thinks this about her character, but I gave her multiple chances to grow on me and every time she opened her mouth talking about blueberry pancakes I just wanted to turn the movie off to enjoy some peace and quiet. That is the only negative I have with the movie and it doesn’t hurt the film in any way, so I would consider it more of nitpick than a flaw. She is a minor character, anyway… So that’s that.
Fun Facts
- Honey Bunny was named after an actual rabbit. Linda Chen, who typed up the script for the film, asked Tarantino to watch her rabbit but he refused. After the rabbit shortly died, he named Amanda Plummer’s character after the rabbit. How sweet of Tarantino, right?
- The film contains over 265 “F words”! And the award for most F bombs dropped in a motion picture goes to Pulp Fiction!
- Vega had a Chevelle Malibu which was actually Tarantino’s car in real life. It was stolen right after the film released and it finally turned up twenty years later in Oakland.
- The movie cost only 8.5 million dollars to make!
- Michael Madsen was originally supposed to play Vincent Vega but he dropped out two weeks prior to shooting so he could star in Wyatt Earp.
- Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs is Vincent’s twin brother!
- Samuel L. Jackson almost lost his part to Paul Calderon! He actually flew to Los Angeles to give another audition out of desperation. When Sam wants a part, he takes it!
Conclusion
I love this movie! The only negative I could come up with was ‘pancake girl’ since her voice made me want to call Mr. Blonde so he could cut my ears off. Everything else was simply amazing! I haven’t been so blown away by a film since the first time I watched Star Wars! The characters are memorable, the dialogue is breathtaking, the structure of the story is handled very well, and the grit was turned up to eleven. I appreciate this film even more every time I revisit it and I will say that this is one of the greatest films ever made! I recommend you watch it for yourself and make it a part of your bucket list to own this film. You will not regret seeing this film, especially if it’s your first time! This is truly a Tarantino masterpiece and I can easily issue this film five stars out of five! If you enjoyed this review then be sure to do me a favor and pass this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!
The Great Critic 