One of the greatest movie bromances of the past few years is Rick and Cliff in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. The actor and stuntman duo drive everywhere together, and they’re inseparable—but that might not always be for good reason.
Cliff is always running errands for Rick without getting so much as a “thank you” in return, and Rick even fired Cliff as soon as he found companionship in someone else. Though they hang out, watch TV, and drink beer together, their friendship can occasionally come off as one-sided and a bit shallow.
BFFs: Cliff Always Knows What To Say To Rick When He’s Down
Though he’s technically Rick’s stuntman and driver, Cliff is more of a guardian angel to the has-been actor. Cliff knows exactly what to say when Rick is down, and Rick's down for most of the movie. It’s rare that Tarantino writes a character who isn’t overly confident and full of themselves, and that’s why Rick’s flawed personality makes him one of Tarantino’s best characters.
From the very first conversation they have, Cliff is telling Rick exactly what he wants to hear after Marvin Schwarz helps him realize he’s a washed-up actor. Even when Cliff is getting fired by his employee because he can’t afford it, the stuntman is still comforting Rick more than worrying about how he’s going to afford his next meal.
Frenemies: Rick Never Asks About Cliff’s Feelings
As Cliff always gives Rick a shoulder to cry on, it very much seems like a one-sided relationship. Rick never comforts Cliff or even asks about his day, and it seems as if Rick never even knew about what happened at Spahn Ranch. He was more invested in his episode of F.B.I., which was on later that night.
Cliff isn’t exactly an open book, as he’s hard to read and rarely gives his opinion on anything—let alone talks about his feelings—but Rick never once asks how he’s doing. Though the actor and stuntman go way back, it’s as if one of them is putting a lot more energy into the friendship than the other.
BFFs: Rick Gets Cliff Stunt Work On The Green Hornet
Kurt Russell narrates Hollywood in the final act of the movie, but he also plays stunt coordinator Randy, who shows up in the "The Green Hornet" sequence of the film. It’s the only moment in the whole movie when Cliff lets his guard down, as he asks Rick for help instead of it being the other way around.
Even though Rick is reluctant, as he knows how brazen and unpredictable Cliff can act on set, the actor still begs and pleads with Randy to give Cliff work on the project. It’s one of the few times that Rick isn’t so self-centered and shows how much he really cares for Cliff.
Frenemies: Cliff Ruins The Green Hornet Job Knowing It May Harm Rick’s Reputation
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding the Bruce Lee scene in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, but it’s one of the few examples of Cliff being a bad friend to Rick. After Rick had put his reputation on the line by getting Cliff a stunt gig on The Green Hornet, Cliff ruined everything by starting a fight with the martial arts icon.
It isn’t that Cliff did it intentionally, but he just couldn’t resist his urge to prove Lee wrong. However, it’s nevertheless insulting to Rick after he had bent over backward to get him the job.
BFFs: Cliff Supports Rick By Watching Rick’s Supporting Roles With Him
Between dropping Rick off at the set, fixing his antenna, doing several other chores, and finally picking Rick back up, Cliff works long hours where he barely gets a second to himself. But, even after taking Rick home in the evening, he still makes time to share a six-pack of beers with him and watch Rick’s episode of F.B.I.
It leads to a hilarious scene where the camera focuses on the TV with a running commentary from Rick and Cliff off-screen, and it’s almost like watching a football game. His humbleness is why Cliff Booth is a better character than Aldo Raine, and their viewing of F.B.I. together is the perfect example of that.
Frenemies: Rick Orders Cliff To Do Chores Around The House
Cliff is undoubtedly Rick’s friend, but he’s also Rick’s employee. But, Rick takes advantage of that in more ways than one. The slow pacing of the film is one of the ways Once Upon A Time broke the Tarantino mold, and part of that slow pacing is due to following Cliff around simply fixing antennas and other chores.
Rick acts as if Cliff is his errand boy, and he rarely shows any kind of gratitude towards Cliff for everything that he does. It’s presented in the movie as if Rick doesn’t even know how to clean up after himself, as it’s Cliff who is cleaning up after him.
BFFs: Cliff Runs Rick’s Errands Without Complaining
Though Cliff is ordered around by Rick to no end, it seems as if Cliff doesn’t really mind it. As well as being Rick’s stuntman and his driver, Cliff also commits to tasks that definitely aren’t in his job description, but he does so without complaining. Cliff fixes Rick’s antenna without expecting even a “thank you.”
Though the movie doesn’t go into any detail about Cliff’s salary, he is clearly massively underpaid for everything he does for the actor. But, to Cliff, that doesn’t seem to matter, as he goes about it in a manner much like a loyal dog.
Frenemies: Cliff Encourages Rick’s Drinking Habits
Rick enjoys a drink more than any other Quentin Tarantino-written character. From frozen margaritas in the pool to beers while watching F.B.I., Rick’s drinking habit made for some funny moments, but it was cause for concern in the movie.
It was said at the very beginning of the movie that Cliff was Rick’s driver because the actor's license was revoked after a drunk driving incident. If Cliff really was a good friend, he would have said something about the habit. Not only that, but simply driving Rick around is encouraging his alcoholism.
BFFs: Rick Was Truly Worried About Cliff At The End
At the end of the movie, after Cliff and Rick have murdered the hippies, Cliff is carried away on a stretcher with a knife stuck in his leg. Rick is genuinely concerned about Cliff’s current state. Maybe he felt bad, as Rick had just fired Cliff, and now Cliff has been stabbed in the leg by a hippie. It seems like a whole load of bad karma that Cliff didn’t deserve.
Rick even tries to travel to the hospital with Cliff, though he instead agrees to bring the stuntman bagels in the morning. Like that, the tables have turned, and Rick is running errands for Cliff, and Rick makes it clear that Cliff really is a dear friend, not just an employee.
Frenemies: Rick Fired Cliff
When all of the filming is wrapped in Italy, Rick fires Cliff, claiming that he can no longer afford him. Though that’s a suitable enough reason, it may not be the truth. After having shot a ton of Italian movies over a period of six months, Rick surely has more money than he was making when he was playing “the heavy” in all those western shows.
The primary reason why Rick kept Cliff around was for companionship, but now he’s married, he has that companionship with someone else, no longer needing Cliff. But, even then, Cliff shows how great of a friend he is by still doing jobs for the actor after he has been fired. When they land back in LA from Italy, Cliff carries all of Rick’s luggage and drives Rick and his wife home.