Tarantino at his most misunderstood

Rating: 10/10 (28 March 2020)

This movie is absolutely not for everyone, and a lot of people regard it as plain boring. I, on the other hand, found it intriguing and heart warming at times. The story follows a has-been actor, Rick Dalton (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), struggling for a comeback at the dawn of New Hollywood. His stunt double, Cliff Booth (played by Brad Pitt), follows his peer but manages his time fixing stuff at Rick's house. The entire film functions as 'a day in the life' of these characters - which include the late Sharon Tate (played by Margot Robbie). As Rick sees his shot at making a comeback by starring in spaghetti westerns on the other side of the globe, he returns to Hollywood with a slightly changed mindset, beset on his inevitable downfall. He and Cliff kicks back and accepts their fate, which coincidentally occurs on the same night of the Manson murders - and Rick is the next door neighbor of Tate. After discovering that Rick Dalton lives next to Tate, history takes a slight shift as the Manson family decides upon killing Rick because he "taught them how to kill" with his violent TV westerns of the 50s - a snarky comment on the critique of Tarantino's own films. Cliff and Dalton quickly dispatches of the Manson members in a cathartic, Tarantino-esque way, and Dalton is invited by Tate to her house - a symbol of his return to Hollywood. 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' finds Tarantino contemplating the tumultuous era and does so in a character study. Rick Dalton's feelings of loss of pride and meaning is thoroughly felt, and his moments of glory sparks an enormous joy in the audience. I believe 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' to be one of Tarantino's best, but absolutely his most misunderstood film.