Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' was directed by Quentin Tarantino and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. It's set in a fantastical version of Hollywood 1969 and is about cowboy actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) who is suffering from a midlife crisis when his career starts to decline as the rise of a young Sharon Tate (Robbie) and a new age of Hollywood film making begins. Dalton is supported throughout by his good friend and former stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) who finds himself increasingly involved with a group of young hippies at Spahn's Ranch.

It's hard to believe that in the 30 plus years he's been in the industry, this is only Tarantino's 9th feature film but when he comes back, he comes out of the gate hard and his newest effort is one of his best. Its stunning recreation of 1969 California is nothing short of gorgeous and of course this being a Tarantino film, you're sure to get a health dose of various music, film posters, and even television clips of the time period. The 60's and 70's were two of the film industry's best decades with some of the best movies of all time coming out in quick succession and this film is a love letter to that old fashioned filmmaking. This is where the film gets divisive as that older style has noticeably ruffled a few feathers and sparked some controversy even before the film's been released. Actor Margot Robbie's portrayal of Sharon Tate is seen by some as having no reason being in the flick and to that I wholeheartedly disagree. She may not get many lines but her presence is felt throughout and is the soul of the picture. Her being here is symbolism of the changing times during that time period and while the plot itself isn't about her, I'd argue the film as a whole is. She's a key factor that many may not understand when first viewing the picture but its there and it keeps the overall narrative strong.

That isn't to say the film isn't without problems, which many other critics have pointed out. I do agree that the film is a bit too long, running at almost three hours and for modern audiences its hard to keep our attention that long. Having said that, I would like to see a director's cut of some sort when its released on Blu-Ray as many have reported deleted sequences and even actor James Marsden being cut from the picture entirely. The film's long running time can also lead to slower moments where you're not sure what the plot is or where its going. This is a typical Tarantino style, but the film is based around true events while also placing a fictional story alongside which leads many characters and scenes to end abruptly, which may be due to the deleted footage but I cannot be sure. The story is little more than window dressing anyway, as the film is more focused on visual and audio metaphors about midlife crisis, moving forward, and adjusting to changes for both good and bad in the world.

Even with these heavy dramatic themes, this movie is absolutely hilarious, in fact I'd say it's Tarantino's biggest attempt at comedy. It's lightning fast and snarky like you'd expect but some of it goes into slapstick territory with the director's signature dark and violent take that is. With this comedic angle, it's hard to not see that Brad Pitt steals the show as Booth. At first, you'd really think the movie was about him as he gets lots of screen time and as I said some great lines all with the charm you expect from Pitt. This is one of his greater roles in a while. DiCaprio also shines and you really feel the emotion he brings. He is a sad wreck who begins to lose hope and you believe that despair. He's always been so good at bringing pure emotion to the screen and this character is perfect for him. The rest of the cast is pretty spread out, with many name actors such as Kurt Russell & Luke Perry but there scenes are few and far between I'm afraid. Overall though, the casting is perfect and some of the best performances in a Tarantino film.

'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' has gotten some flak for sticking with an old school style, but it's just modern sensibilities getting in the way in my opinion. This is a great throwback to that time period and not only captures the look of the 60's but the film is shot, edited, and performed like a movie from that period. It's a film for fans of the past and of Tarantino but modern audiences will be more divided on its presentation. I recommend you check it out and tell me what you all think.

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