"We Happy? We Happy!"

Rating: 8/10 (6 April 2020)

For me, this film was another La La Land; the first time I saw it, I didn't like it. However, after going away and thinking about it and eventually returning to it, I thought (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) was really quite good.
I wouldn't say that it's Tarantino's best film but I would say that it's possibly 2019's best. The dialogue is simple but hits all the right notes. The stellar cast is, well... "stellar". Brad Pitt was the definition of "cool" while Margot Robbie managed to capture all of the silent tragedy of the life of Sharon Tate. Even the dog (Brandy) was on top, hippy-chewing form!
Personally, I think you've just got to know what you're going in for. This isn't some complex movie trying to tell some spiritual message. This is a story about two fellas going from A to B. It becomes more complicated when you wonder why Tarantino decided to add the Manson element, and I can only conclude that (like my father, who was 18 at the time) he was very affected by them when they happened. Apart from that, this film is very, very simple. Is that a bad thing? In the end, no. Films are often so convoluted these days, so it was nice to see a film that knew what it wanted to achieve and achieved it.
Should it have one Best Picture? Yes. No other film this year has entertained me like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I was very disappointed with The Irishman and thought Joker was both grim and unoriginal. I know there are others but for me, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood really stood out for its creativity and its visual poetry. After watching it, you sit back and think: "why couldn't history have been like that?"
In short, it's a movie made by someone who loves movies and if you want a nostalgic, heartfelt look at the bygone days of 1960s Hollywood, this film is for you!