Must watch without any expectations

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2019)

Tarantino is difficult to predict, but this film was definitely not expected. Even devout fans will likely appreciate Tarantino's latest after processing it a while after the fact. You have to watch it with no classic Tarantino expectations, no significant news-of-the-time tie ins, and an appreciation for the evolution of Hollywood. It is not an action movie, and it is unusually reverent for Tarantino. The cinematography is splendid, but the characters and plot (if it can be said to have a plot at all), with the exception of Pitt's (wonderfully delivered) Cliff Booth, are not engaging. The film is simply a nostalgic homage that has been "thought" to death by fans and critics. There's not spectacular insights to be found here.