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Tarantino Delivers Both Bangs & Whimpers in ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’
NOTE: This is a spoiler-free review.
Whatever you think of Tarantino’s work, you have to admit that the man is the most adept professional fanboy the film industry has ever seen. No one spreads the on-screen gospel of the bygone movie biz the way that man does — certainly no one with his style, at least.
If that’s why you see his films too — because you know it was lovingly made by a fellow rabid cinema fan — then you’re guaranteed to adore the way Once Upon a Time in Hollywood presents itself. Fair warning, though: If you’re expecting it to go as hard as Django and Basterds did, you’re going to see something a little different. A brash free-for-all is not what Hollywood was built to deliver.
The film follows famed TV actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double turned set-gopher Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Rick has reached a much-feared point of no return in his career: Middle-aged, riddled with vices, and all but spat out by a ravenous entertainment industry, he wonders what the hell happened to him and what could possibly be next.
Simultaneously, we’re introduced to Rick’s carefree next-door neighbor, actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), just as her professional and personal lives sweeten up nicely. The universe has given her…
