Brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (22 December 2019)

I had given up on Tarantino. "Kill Bill: Part 2" showed the extinction of his ability to write witty dialogue. "Death Proof" showed the maggots feasting on the corpse of this ability. I didn't watch "Inglourious Basterds", but "Django" was pretty overrated. I gave up on "The Hateful Eight", not wanting to watch three hours of Jennifer Jason Leigh being physically assaulted. I was tired of his endless homages and imitations of other movies, which had the effect of making me wish I'd watched those movies instead.
Well, "Once Upon a Time..." is a work of maturity from the director. It has been said that directors become great not by adding, but by taking away, and that's what Tarantino has done here. None of the typical Tarantino-isms distract or irritate. He is not the same man he was all those years ago. His talent has developed. This is a work worthy of Scorsese, or any other great filmmaker.
Yes, the film is about fictional characters - both brilliantly written and portrayed - on the fringes of Hollywood around the time of the Sharon Tate murder. It feels like historical fiction, before finally segueing into alternative history.
The title is fitting. What starts as a lovingly detailed picture finally becomes more like a fairy tale. It begins with what was, and becomes what should have been. The characters are all grasping at something, from greater fame to a better seat at the table.
Which is, of course, Hollywood in a nutshell.
Thus "Once Upon a Time..." is one of the most complete pictures of Hollywood ever captured on celluloid. It begins with staggering attention to detail, and evolves into a fairy tale. It captures the time and place, but more than that, the heart and soul of a city and an era.
It is brilliant.