Movie Review: Once Upon a Time in ... Hollywood
I went into this film for all intents and purposes, blindly. Knowing nothing more than it’s Quentin Tarantino’s 9th film and a period piece, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie (my man Kurt Russell also has a role), and Charles Manson figures into it somehow. Not a lot to go on, but being a Tarantino fan, I was all in to see what his brilliant/freakish mind came up with this go around.
Hmmm, not really sure where to start with this one.
I love me some Tarantino, but after sitting through this epic 2 hour 41 minute whatever, I’m still not really sure what the hell the movie is about and therein lies the problem. I’m not sure Tarantino really knows what the film was about either.
Clearly Once... is a love letter to Hollywood. According to Tarantino the Golden Age of Hollywood (inaccurate as that era is widely agreed upon as ending in the 1950s, but, whatever). Once... takes place in 1969 and as a period piece it’s spectacular. The attention to detail in the recreation of branding, signage, interiors/exteriors, costuming, films and television shows within the movie, etc. is second to none.
Unfortunately, the actual “letter” part is a long, meandering affair with many great character/story moments, that don’t gel into a cohesive whole. I had way to many instances of pondering, “where’s this going?”, “what’s the point?”. I got restless numerous times and I wasn’t alone. In a near sold out theater, numerous people got up (several multiple times) to get more snacks and drinks. And at least two couples left and never came back around the halfway mark.
The cinematography is gorgeous, the acting strong, the characters/character development/story, not so much. Even the dialogue and soundtrack, two cornerstones of a Tarantino film, were very hit and miss. I was into it one moment and not the next throughout the film. There's just too much waiting for something to happen. Making for extremely uneven pacing and an off kilter viewing experience.
The casting is a veritable smorgasbord of who’s who in addition to the before mentioned DiCaprio, Pitt, Russell and Robbie. We’re treated to the likes of Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, and “Brandy” (love the dog) to varying degrees, in addition to many other “hey, that’s whatshis/whatsher name from...” plus many from “The Gang” of Tarantino regulars. No doubt this helps contribute to the bloated run time and sadly not for any great benefit for the overall experience.
It pains me to say, but Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood is by and large a self-indulgent, bloated, snorefest and has officially taken over as my least favorite Tarantino film. I expected more. I wanted more. Alas, I’m mostly just disappointed..
While not complete trash, the ending is classic Tarantino and an extremist violent delight with an Inglorious Basterds bent that makes the entire film, it’s certainly not something I can recommend taking the time or spending the money to see in the theater.
It’s with a heavy heart and a prayer to the movie gods Tarantino doesn’t f#@! up the untitled Star Trek film he’s working on. Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood gets a 4 from me.
FYI, if and or when you do see this one, be advised there is a mid credit scene to see so look for it.
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