Anthony's Film Review - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Quentin Tarantino's ability to immerse us in a film is once again on display here...

Writer and director Quentin Tarantino isn't exactly known for one genre of films. His work has crossed into several, like crime (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction), samurai (Kill Bill), war (Inglourious Basterds), and western (Django Unchained). So when you hear news of Tarantino doing another movie, always keep an open mind because you never know what he'll take on next. Just know that whatever kind of film he does, he'll do it with the methodical direction he's known for, which I'll get into more in just a bit.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is another one of Tarantino's takes on a period piece, this time the setting of Los Angeles in 1969. This is one of those movies where the setting is the focus and the characters come second. In other words, rather than focus on one set of principal characters and following them in their journey, you are watching an overview of multiple sets of characters and the things they do. It sort of reminds me of George Lucas's American Graffiti in 1973. That's not to say you don't appreciate these characters up close. There are moments where you get to do just that.

So let's see who the characters are. First off, you have Leonard DiCaprio as actor Rick Dalton and Brad Pitt as stunt double and personal driver Cliff Booth. Nearby Rick's house, you will see Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate and other people she associates with, including film director Roman Polanski. Moving into the streets of L.A., you'll find a group of hippie girls, including Margaret Qualley as Pussycat. There are more, but I think that should cover the major players here.

For a while, these characters essentially follow their own separate paths without really interacting with each other. But the great joy of this film is watching scenes that are lengthy and give the audience a chance to be immersed in the moment. For example, there's a long scene where Rick enters the set of a western and waits alongside a child actor. Both are reading a book as they awkwardly strike a conversation, before a connection seems to form. Later, a separate scene shows the filming of the western. What's great is that the actors are doing their parts without interruption and without any film crew or equipment visible, as if you're really watching a western movie. The scene reaches a moment when something unexpected occurs, which is funny because it's related to film work but appears out of place in a western movie.

You can expect more scenes like this as the film goes on. By the end, you'll get to appreciate all of the major characters. Speaking of which, I mentioned earlier that the characters are mostly separate, but not so during the climax. It's where all the major paths intersect at the same point. Obviously, I won't go into detail about the ending, but I will point out that it features two things Tarantino has done with previous films. One is gratuitous violence. The other is alternate history to replace a certain factual event with a fictional event that audiences would appreciate if real life actually happened that way. Oh, and there's one more Tarantino trademark to look out for, involving a fictional product brand during a mid-credits scene.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a pretty good movie. Among all of the Tarantino flicks I've seen, it's not at the top or close to it, but it's certainly not my least favorite. He does a good job immersing the audience into the film. I also like how he presents a tribute to 1960s Hollywood, even if it mixes fact and fiction. In fact, you often can't tell fact from fiction here, which makes the experience all the better. Is this a movie that is meaningful with something significant to take away? Hardly. But is it entertaining and fun? It sure is.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, visit the Internet Movie Database.