It's a "once upon a time"....

Rating: 9/10 (11 August 2019)

A lot of people who've seen this movie felt annoyed because they expected a movie about the Tate murder, but they got a movie about a nobody doing mediocre TV shows and spaghetti westerns.
Yet I feel that's the main point of the movie! Bear with me.
Sharon Tate was a "nobody" when she got killed. She really hadn't yet her big break, while described as a promising prospect. You see her walk into a movie theater and no one recognizes her, but at the same time you get to see the audience react positively to her scenes. Unfortunately, she has been "famous" because of her untimely and horrifying demise. As a viewer, you know that already and that's what you are expecting to see.
Yet what you get to watch is the loser life of washed up actor Rick Dalton and his nervous breakdowns. He is an actor, although with potential, he just hasn't made it. He's Tate's next door neighbor, and daydreams about meeting her and her husband (Roman Polanski) and maybe getting his big break. But that has never happened.
Watching his life seemed boring, maybe even sad, but you are not interested because you know Tate's story is way more interesting. But QT never gives you more than glimpses of "the celebrity" you went in to see to her story.
Then the final act kicks in, you are led to believe "here we go, the murder is coming up now" and this is where history is changed and the rug is pulled from underneath your feet. Instead of attacking Tate's home, the Manson clan attack Rick's house. And instead of getting killed, Rick, his stuntman friend and his dependable dog beat the s*** out of them. And guess what, only after this incident does Tate perceive his presence and invites him into his house! Only then and there does Rick's story became more interesting to Tate, and more importantly to you as a viewer.
Now ask yourself this, Would you have been interested in Tate's life if she hadn't been murdered? Would she even have become a "star" or would she have been forgotten like a thousand "promising" others? How would have her life changed if she was attacked but survived?
Rick's long-awaited chance for a "big break" only materialized when he was attacked by a bunch of hippies. He's probably going to be famous for it and will probably "get a movie made about his life"! From QT's dark POV, Rick Dalton's story could have been Tate's story. It's a "what if" story, it's a "once upon a time".
This movie is a timepiece about hollywood, but not just the songs and the neon lights and the colorful outfits. It's about the cinema capital of the world, where being a good actor is just not enough to make you a "star". You learn hollywood's harsh ironic reality, and along the way you'll know that you (the moviegoer) are who made it that way.