Tarantino transports us back to 1969 in a lovingly made tribute to a Hollywood that no longer exists

Rating: 9/10 (20 August 2019)

Quentin Tarantino returns to write and direct his ninth film, this time taking us back to Hollywood in the year 1969. This is a movie that I have been curious about for quite some time now, ever since the first trailer came out. After finally going to see it, I can definitely say it did not disappoint.
The film follows the paths of a fading television star, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Dalton is struggling to remain relevant in this new Hollywood that he can hardly even recognize. Now, if you're looking for an intricate, fast-moving plot, this is most certainly not the movie for you. As Tarantino has stated, this film is almost more of a day-in-the-life of these characters, meaning there really is no specific plot that you can point to. Instead, Tarantino uses this movie as an opportunity to completely transport the audience back in time to this unique and fascinating time period. I guess you could say there is no real story at all. I'm sure you know, however, that a key event this film contains is the infamous murder of Sharon Tate and her friends. This event is kind of used as a way of letting us know where this is all going. We know what the film is leading up to, we know where this will end, and Tarantino uses this as a way of pulling the story together and connecting everything. However, just to ensure that there is no confusion here: this movie is not about the murders. The film follows Rick and Cliff as they make their way through 1969 Hollywood; as many have stated, it is a love letter to this time period and the Hollywood that no longer exists more than anything else. Many have wrongly assumed that this is a movie strictly about the murders, and I can assure you, this is not true at all.
Now, of course, the night of the murders does eventually arrive. Tarantino once again provides his own little twist on history. Sharon Tate and her friends survive the night. In fact, the killers never even end up in her house. Instead, they end up in the house of Rick Dalton, and in a few gruesome minutes, Rick, Cliff, and Cliff's dog brutally take out all three of the would-be murderers. The reasoning behind the killers being in Rick's house in the first place is ridiculous. However, I still loved the ending. Tarantino takes his time with Manson's followers before the final scene, building up an intense hatred that the audience feels for the killers by the time they enter Rick's house. This allows for an incredibly satisfying and almost comical scene, despite the brutal violence on display. All of the built-up tension is finally released as this fight breaks out. This is not an ending that will please everyone. I, however, found it to be a satisfying and entertaining ending to the film.
For a Tarantino movie, this film is decidedly light on the violence. He is able to restrain himself almost entirely until the last 10 minutes or so, when his classic over-the-top style of violence kicks in. That's when it gets so ridiculously excessive that you almost have to just laugh; for the most part, it seems that it actually is meant to be played for laughs. Despite the lack of the usual Tarantino violence outside these 10 minutes, I still found it to be quite an enjoyable film, if slightly less entertaining.
This is a film that does move very slow at times. At 161 minutes, you have to be really into the characters and setting for it to not get boring. Fortunately, that was the case for me. I was completely immersed in the story of these two characters, and because of that, I had a good time with the slower pace. Again, this is kind of a day-in-the-life of these two Hollywood actors, and I really had an appreciation for this style of telling a story. If you're not up for that type of thing, this is simply not the movie for you.
Despite the limited violence and slower pace, I still think there is a good amount of entertainment value within this film. There is plenty of humor throughout the film, and it ends up being an overall pretty funny movie. This keeps the film from getting boring and provides for a more lighthearted atmosphere throughout the movie. Of course, when addressing things surrounding Manson and his followers, the mood becomes more fittingly dark, but most of the movie has an almost playful feel to it, and it's just fun to watch.
The thing Tarantino was most focused on in this movie was providing an accurate recreation of 1969 Hollywood, and he really goes all out in making it feel as authentic as possible. He makes you feel as if you are truly watching events from 1969. He has many long car rides throughout the movie where it just shows the characters driving through Hollywood, with the radio blasting 60s music and the wind blowing through their hair. These were cool scenes that added to the authentic feel of the film, but there may have been one or two too many of these scenes, as it started to get a little excessive at points. You kind of get the sense that there was no one attempting to restrain Tarantino, no one that would simply tell him "no." I feel like this film could have been even better if there were more people attempting to restrain Tarantino a bit. His direction of this movie was still fantastic, but he may have been a bit too self-indulgent at times.
Adding to the authentic 1969 feel of the film was the outstanding cinematography. The way everything is filmed, you feel like you're there, like you're back at this time in history that is now long gone. Like I talked about, the car scenes, though perhaps a bit excessive, were some of the best looks we got at this completely different world. The transformation of Hollywood Boulevard was incredible as well, and just the overall production design made everything feel 100% authentic. Transporting the audience back in time was most definitely the film's greatest feat.
With Rick Dalton, Tarantino crafted an interesting, if not entirely likable, character. Rick feels incredibly sorry for himself all the time, but we, as the audience, do not necessarily sympathize with him, as he does not prove to be the kindest of people; in fact, he seems to be a bit of a self-centered jerk who cares about pretty much no one but himself. He does, however, seem to be of some joke that goes throughout the whole film. He smokes cigarette after cigarette, despite the obvious damage to his lungs. He becomes a raging alcoholic with random emotional outbursts for no discernible reason. There isn't much at all to be liked about his character, and I think that was intended. I think this was, however, a very well-written character that was enjoyable to watch, even if we don't have any strong emotional connection with him.
As for Cliff Booth, he is a character that the audience does connect with and care for. When he arrives on Spahn Ranch, he does indeed go out of his way - potentially putting himself in great danger - to make sure that an old man that lives at the ranch is ok, and not being taken advantage of. This for me showed that he was a caring and thoughtful person, and made him a far more likable character for me. Anyway, Cliff is the stunt double and partner of Rick, and does everything both with him and for him. He doesn't ask for anything in return, and certainly doesn't get anything in return, but he doesn't seem to care one bit. He is overall just super laid back and attempting to enjoy life in the ways that he can. In this way also, he is a very likable character. Overall, besides the one seemingly out-of-place element of Cliff supposedly killing his wife (couldn't tell if that was real), he is a very likable character, and it is great to see him (and his dog) as the heroes of the movie when we reach the end.
Now, as for Sharon Tate, the fact that she is in this film at all is very controversial. However, I thought her portrayal on-screen was managed very well, and the audience sees her in a positive light for the person she was rather than the horrific ending to her life. Her character in this story represents hope and potential for a great future, and I think that is a great way to honor who she was.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton is great as always. His role was a particularly difficult one because he was essentially playing two characters. He was playing Rick the person, but also playing Rick when he was acting in a movie. Of course, he can't just act the same way that he himself acts, he has to act the way Rick would act. This is an incredibly complex and challenging task that most actors would not be able to pull off, but DiCaprio does it nearly flawlessly. As Rick himself, he is totally believable in every way, and has some truly great scenes where he really gets into that character.
Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth is charming, likable, and funny. He totally pulls off the performance in all the best ways. The thing he really does well with is the humor. So many of the jokes in this film come from Cliff, and Pitt is really what makes so many of them land effectively. Pitt and DiCaprio both absolutely nail their roles in this film, helping it succeed in a big way.
Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate was also excellent. It's always a delicate situation when you have to portray a real-life person, but Robbie handled it very well and was able to succeed at playing Sharon probably better then anyone else could have. She brought a likable, fun-loving personality to the movie that was enjoyed by everyone.
I have to say, overall this film had an incredible cast, and everyone else also did very well. Truly great work from everyone that appeared on-screen.
Overall, Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood is a very good film from Quentin Tarantino, who pulls it off again. It's sure to get several nominations come award season and maybe even win a few. The incredible acting and great directing and cinematography successfully transport the audience back to 1969 in a very enjoyable film.