Tarantino gives us his recollection of Hollywood in 1969, even though he was only 6 then..

Rating: Null/10 (9 January 2020)

I watched this at home on BluRay from my public library, my wife skipped. Then I watched it again 4 days later. You get so much more after you know what to expect. With as much press this movie has received, including just winning the Golden Globe for Best Picture, I was skeptical, I was prepared for a letdown. But I wasn't, I thoroughly enjoyed and was entertained by its 2 hour and 40 minute running time.
The year 1969 is memorable for a number of reasons, the moon landing, my finishing graduate school, the Chappaquiddick incident, my first daughter being born. And also Sharon Tate. The story here comes to a climax on August 9th, 1969 which is the day Tate was murdered by members of the Manson family. Anyone seeing this movie and not knowing that will likely be confused.
The running story involves two fictional characters, Leonardo DiCaprio as somewhat famous TV Western actor Rick Dalton, and his old pal, almost like a brother, Brad Pitt as Dalton's stunt double, Cliff Booth, who also happens to be well-trained and well-equipped as an accomplished fighter. Dalton' career is on the decline, he is afraid he is on the verge of has-been, so he goes to Italy to make several spaghetti westerns.
Cliff is getting less and less work, but doesn't appear to worry about it at all, happy to live frugally with his dog in a small trailer behind the seedy drive-in theater. He remains loyal to his friendship with Rick.
Margot Robbie is the only other I will mention, she is good as Sharon Tate who, with her husband Roman Polanski, lives next door to Dalton. In his movie "Inglourious Basterds" Tarantino writes a completely different story of Hitler in WW2, suffice to say his writing of the fate of Sharon Tate for this movie also departs significantly from history. Sort of a "what if things had happened differently?"
The only complaint I have is that so much of the dialog is filled with filthy language, not just an occasional F-bomb here and there but FILLED with it. That is Tarantino's style, I think he does it too much, but it is his movie. Even with that I find this to be an excellent and entertaining movie, deserving of its accolades. I watched it twice before I returned the BD to the library, the second viewing was as entertaining as the first.
The extras on the disc are interesting also.