Very cool insight as to what the culture of Hollywood is like.

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2020)

In Quentin Tarantino's film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the director pays homage to 1960's Hollywood. In one of his less visceral movies, he follows a somewhat washed out actor Rick Dalton (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), trying to make a comeback in the film industry, via making connections with big names. From playing a western hero in a hit movie in the 1950's, to being the bad guy with a beer gut in new age westerns, it would seem he is losing his shine. Threatened with the last resort of having to star in lesser known Italian westerns, he is desperate for a comeback. Through this journey, we get a glimpse of the inner workings of Hollywood back in this time period, and how it created the culture we see today, all the while being subtly reminded that "it's all about who you know."
In my opinion, this was a great movie. Although the storyline may seem depressing, Cliff Booth (played by Brad Pitt) interrupts these melancholy moments with funny remarks, as well as different outlooks on the situation. It is also an incredible representation of how it would feel to be an actor on the end of a bell curve, a view we don't always see. Consequently, we are exposed to the drama that unfolds, whether it be relationships between directors and actresses, or actors accused of abusing women. We often hear about these sorts of things, but the earlier setting seems to point out that they have always been apart of the Hollywood culture. All of this is accompanied by incredible camera work, from the offsetting frames of the Manson's hideout, to the way they captured Rick roaming the movie sets.

At certain points, the film can seem to get a little bit political. Most of the women in the film seem like airheads, and are slightly demonized. There are a couple digs at the "#MeToo" movement, but no one can deny that it is a huge part of Hollywood, especially now. Also, certain scenes can be very dry conversations full of actor lingo, which almost seem canted towards actors themselves. There are also odd interactions between hippies and actors, painting them as invertebrate jellies, who thirst for sex. But this does end up propelling the story further, as members of the Manson cult decide to take revenge on the actors who filled everyone's heads with murder.
So Tarantino's ode to Hollywood shows how much he really loves it, but also exploits the factors which we see problems with today. There may have been political jabs and overstepped stereotypes, but depending on your tolerance of these sorts of things they can easily be overlooked. The best thing about this movie is the level of insight we receive regarding how it feels to be not only an actor, but an individual who is slowly losing their luster. This is easily one of his best movies, simply because of the fact it is so captivating and relevant to what we see in the film industry today.