A tribute to the Golden age of Hollywood!

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2020)

The seesawing story of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood rests on a fulcrum of understood history. We're meant to recognize the Hollywood of 1969 and the fate of Sharon Tate; we're also drawn to leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, their shared movie-star allure having accrued across decades. Those are the twin hooks of the film, and Tarantino reels us in by using both to generate suspense-such as that's possible-and meaning. If nothing else, he delights in this interaction between real and fake-and back again.
Leonard Dicaprio and Brad Pitt give career high performances. Dicaprio is Rick Dalton, a TV cowboy actor who longs for movie stardom but has now hit the skids. Pitt plays Cliff Booth his stunt double/driver and all around best bud. They also represent doubles of each other in real life, though Dalton is angry and frustrated at his failings in life while Booth is perfectly happy to be his pal's gopher and handyman. There is good recreations of TV westerns of the time, Dalton had been the star of "Bounty Law" a show that never existed but is clearly based on Steve McQueen's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" series. Dalton is now playing guest role villains on TV. An actual series "Lancer" is recreated here, I never saw this show when it aired since it was on up against "The Mod Squad" in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Dalton has some funny and touching scenes opposite a precocious 8 year old actress while doing the "Lancer" episode. The late Luke Perry has his final film appearance in these scenes also.
Margot Robbie has an almost magical presence playing actress Sharon Tate. Tate unfortunately is best known today as the most famous of the Manson family murder victims. We see not only how beautiful she was but also how good and kind she was as well. One of my favorite scenes is when she goes to a movie theater to watch "The Wrecking Crew" a film she made in 1968 with Dean Martin. We see actual clips of the movie, (with the real Sharon Tate) and cuts back to her reactions, she becomes delighted when the audience laughs at her comedy bits and applauds at her fight scene with Nancy Kwan.
This is a love letter to a film industry that is no longer recognisable. Hippies, short skirts, westerns..... all have disappeared from our movie world. But worry not, Quentin Tarantino is here to remind us of old school film making from a once beloved industry which has been described as being on life support.
The performances are flawless. I was apprehensive about how the events of August 8, 1969 would be handled. But that is handled tastefully and respectfully, yet with the classic Tarantino flair.
I liked Brad's character the most, but Leo easily matched with his own performance. A definite see-it-in-theatres watch. Bring your sense of humor though. There are lines of dialogue and laugh out loud bits that completely satisfy your curious mind. Expect everything you would from Tarantino, but also what you wouldn't.
Everything plays a part in the experience. This is some of the best acting I have seen in a long time. I was swept away with the look, music, and story. The best part of this movie is when you are spending time with these characters.
The streak of melancholic nostalgia running through Once Upon a Time in Hollywood might have blunted the razor-sharp edge of Quentin Tarantino, but it only emphasises the care he puts into his craft. A brilliant film made by one of the world's biggest film fans...and a must-see for everyone else.