Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood Movie Review (2019)
A stylistic Tarantino film about an actor and his stunt double in the 1960s, Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood will make you look at Tinseltown in a whole new way.
The first Quentin Tarantino film I ever saw was Pulp Fiction. I watched it in the movie theater and promptly returned for a second viewing, dragging my mom along with me. She was horrified… that she was laughing. Which is one of the best descriptors of Tarantino’s films that I could ever come up with. He will make you laugh and bug your eyes out at exactly the same time with his creative vision.
Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood is about fading actor Rick Dalton and his sidekick and stuntman, Cliff Booth. It is the 1960s, and Rick has a large home in Hollywood, right next door to Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, but without work and additional exposure, his success is in question. With Cliff now more of a chauffeur and best friend, he continues to be Rick’s hypeman as Rick does acting jobs here and there.
This is an incredibly unique film that is quirky and engaging while you’re watching it, but almost becomes something else after you’ve finished. The best way I can describe it is like a Georges Seurat painting. It is just a bunch of dots at first, but as you wheel back, you see a magnificent painting in its full glory. That’s this movie.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are fantastic as the insecure, stuttering Rick Dalton with a dad-bod, and the suave, buff Cliff Booth, but the rest of the ensemble is ridiculous as well. Just some of the people you’ll see are Margot Robbie, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Mike Moh, Margaret Qualley, Al Pacino, Emile Hirsch, and Bruce Dern, and every new face is a welcome surprise.
Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood is a little bit different from Tarantino’s other films in that it slowly builds with longer vignettes and more famous faces. Some characters exist for less than a minute on screen, and others are there more often. Julia Butters (Freakier Friday), who plays a child actor, is an absolute standout for me. The way this small human commands the screen is spectacular and her one-on-one scene with DiCaprio is outstanding. I’m looking forward to seeing more from her.
There is some gorgeous cinematography and camerawork in this film, with long takes that pull out only to have actors enter the frame and start a car, or lingering close-ups, and excellent period costumes and music. The vibe ranges from light to funny to eccentric, and it all melds beautifully.
Past everything else, though, this film has Tarantino’s hallmarks all over it. There is a slower build than you may find in other movies, but you can expect both an engaging cinematic experience and the unexpected. I’m not going to say much more here, but go in blind, you’ll enjoy it more that way.
Runtime: 160 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
