While most of the other big budget films today...

Rating: 9/10 (3 October 2019)

...today are either franchises, spin offs, re-boots or saga wannabes, Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon...is a nostalgic fairytale about his favourite subject (cinema) set in its ideal kingdom (Hollywood). I'll leave it to you to guess who Prince Charming, Snow White, the huntsman and the wicked witches are here.
As usual with QT the movie is packed with film and 60's tv references that only a lucky few film buffs will be able to appreciate in its entirety.
As usual with Tarantino the writing is clever and the plotting crafty even if his trademark suspence dialogues are almost absent, after all the two protagonists aren't champions of verbose eloquence:
-The Di Caprio carachter is a self pitying moan with a hint of a stutter who can't help talking about himself even when telling the story of a book he is reading.
-Pitt's character is a laconic, laid back and out of luck stuntsman whit a caring nature who always speaks out his mind even when facing Bruce Lee or the Manson's lot. Di Caprio and Pitt are pitch perfect in their roles.
Margot Robbie brings candour and glee with her homage to Sharon Tate and her role is mirrored by Margaret Qualley's happy-go-lucky hippie girl. The two girls live in the same world but in a social scale they may well be on different planets.
1969 Los Angeles and it's streets and neon lights is the other protagonist, Tarantino wisely avoids 60's cliches and the town appears both real and nostalgic through Bob Richardson's lighting.
Cannot say much more or as I don't want to give away too much, I'll just say that I'm more than eager to a second viewing.