In many ways, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the quintessential Tarantino film - for better and for worse. It has every element you'd expect from a Tarantino film, throughout his career, all packaged into one tidy package.
It is very much a subjective, personal take by Tarantino about 60's Hollywood. It's a unique combination of wide-eyed nostalgia trip and some interesting history. His last couple of films have been lacking in the humour he has been known for, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a major change of pace. Indeed, it may be the funniest film of his career, with plenty of gags and references that'll delight movie lovers. It's a delight visually, with wonderful production, costume design, hair/makeup, to go with typically excellent cinematography and editing. There's once again an intriguing combination of a historical 60's style, with something anachronistic and modern.
The chemistry between the characters of Leo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt is the highlight of the movie. I've always been fascinated about the stuntman-star relationship in the action movies of the time - especially Steve McQueen and Bud Ekins. It's a wonderfully strange relationship, somewhere between business and bromance, somewhere between envy and camaraderie. The movie captures this brilliantly, and is a dynamic I've rarely seen. The star's constant insecurity contrasted with the stunt man's supreme confidence leads to some rather hilarious but poignant moments. Both deliver knockout performances, of course, as does Margot Robbie.
There have been plenty of references to Hollywood and moviemaking throughout Tarantino's career, but this is the first time there are scenes set inside Hollywood. This is obviously something he has always wanted to do, but I'm not sure the mock film-within-a-film shoots quite live up to expectations. Indeed, they seem to capture the tedium of filmmaking at times, which does slow down the pace of the film. There are some hilarious sequences though, and most of them revolve around Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth. Tarantino does have a knack for building up long, tense sequences. The stuntman's visit to the Manson family is one of the best sequences, equal parts tense and funny. It doesn't quite match up to the opening sequence of Inglourious Basterds though.
Speaking of Basterds, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood similarly revises history in a typically Tarantino way. And there lies the issue with this movie. If you've noticed I have mentioned Tarantino far too often - it's intentional. Anyone familiar with all of his films has seen it all. Often times, it just feels like a victory lap, a celebration of his career. No scratch that, it feels like he himself is celebrating his own career. Still, a "greatest hits" of Tarantino will always be high quality and highly entertaining, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood remains a great watch - just not a special one. Probably better than Django and Hateful, but doesn't live up to some of his earlier work. The days of exciting and boundary-pushing Tarantino films are long gone. Let's hope his tenth film - claimed to be his last - will deliver something refreshing.
The thing that stuck out with me in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, was just how slow the plot progression moved. It took a very long time to set up the story, more than I've probably ever seen in a Tarantino film. That said, you hit the nail on the head with Pitt and Di Caprio. Their chemistry definitely made the movie.
Yeah, the film was definitely sparse on plot, but that's been the case with some of Tarantino's previous works, e.g. Jackie Brown and The Hateful Eight. This one brings together elements from all of his work into one film.
I feel like the hateful eight was better at moving the plot along. I mean, sure. Sometimes it's pretty slow, but for the most part, they kept it moving. Once upon a time in Hollywood really didn't have that same movement. I didn't understand a good chunk of Robie's scenes. Like the one at the movie theater, where she goes to watch her own film. What point did that serve the plot?
I still like the movie and I still like Tarantino. It's just, this is the slowest movie I've ever seen of his.
Yeah, that's a fair observation.
I'm sorry, I think the movie sucked, such a waste of good actors 😐
The movie really had a slow plot progression but it was all worth it to me after that wonderful brutal final. Great movie 😊
personally i enjoyed django alot more then this but im a western fan in general so it could e part of the reason, very good review tho, ty