A good movie, another alternate reality effort

Rating: 7/10 (16 December 2019)

Tarantino is in the zenith of his alternate reality movie phase. In this effort, we see a glimpse of the life of Hollywood actors, complete with an alternative "what if" idea of what if the Manson criminals had instead "picked the wrong house" to attack?
But, in spite of that quirky aspect, the real purpose of this movie, and its real exploration, is of a person in history that we got to see far too little of, actress Sharon Tate, who in reality was murdered by the Manson thugs far too early in her life.
Margo Robbie made this movie! Her presentation is of a sweet and charming young woman, full of life and happiness. And in her presentation, some of the "what if" of Sharon Tate's unfulfilled life is played out before us. As the final scene is played out, and the movie title is strategically saved to the very end, we are left with the sense of sadness about how one small group of psychopaths can destroy a life full of interest.
Concurrently, the movie explores another theme of the older actor filled with personal doubt and paranoia that his career is winding down in an industry well known for its fickle nature and quick loss of status for roles.
The main take away is nostalgia, for a time in 1969 when Hollywood was in many respects at its high water mark for relevance and financial influence. The moral lesson is that the Manson murders may have represented the beginning of the slide of lost dreams and destroyed futures, all of which may have been avoided if the Mansons had simply picked the "wrong" house to attack!