Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood

I should also mention the film boasts a very big cast. Much has already been said in the press about Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate. She captures the spirit and optimism of the up-and-coming, yet tragic starlet, who falls in love with show business and living the fairy tale life with a famous Hollywood director. The rest of the film is littered with famous cameos from Al Pacino, Lena Dunham, Luke Perry, Bruce Dern, and Kurt Russell along with the appearance of famous figures of that time like Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis), Connie Stevens (Dreama Walker), Bruce Lee (Mike Moh), and Squeaky Fromme (Dakota Fanning).

Despite its ending, Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood is probably the most positive and optimistic film from writer/director Quentin Tarantino…which may piss off a lot of his fans. It’s different and shows off a side of Tarantino, we’re not used to…which may piss off a lot of his fans. Lastly, there might be a little controversy about the film’s ending, but I chalk that up to what this film really is. Tarantino’s 9^th film is basically a love letter to the Hollywood of 1969. So how many does he have left?

Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood (2019) Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley, Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Lena Dunham.

7 out of 10 stars

Film Threat Staff

Hunter Lanier

Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood is a big, wet, Bugs Bunny kiss to that brief window of time when movies and music were at their best (and coolest). The movie’s a cigarette glow in the darkness. People laude Tarantino for his dialogue and kinetic cinematography, but forget to mention that he’s the last proprietor of “cool.” To make a contextually appropriate music analogy, Tarantino is the Rolling Stones to their Herman’s Hermits.

With this movie, Leonardo DiCaprio joins the ranks of the all-time great criers. The scene of Tarantino’s trademark ultraviolence/slapstick is the hardest I’ve laughed in a movie theater in some time–the hilarity is heightened by a certain perspective on movie violence the recipient takes earlier on, as well as the general unacceptability of the situation. 

Steve McQueen might have the best line in the movie. When was the last time you could say that?

10 out of 10

Nick Rocco Scalia

If recent chatter is to be believed, Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood won’t actually be the last Quentin Tarantino movie, but it feels a lot like a victory lap nonetheless. All of the key obsessions are present and accounted for – chief among them, devout cinephilia, stunning violence, and, of course, feet – but they’re there not in service of some grand, career-capping masterpiece but, rather, an enjoyable collection of moments and scenes from a guy who, at this point, has probably earned the right to breezily toast his own legacy and the cinematic tradition he’s now enshrined in. It’s all wrapped up in a bromance for the ages (Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are both great) and astounding production design that recreates late 60s Hollywood down to the finest details, from spaghetti western posters to hippie fashions to who’s-who parties at the Playboy Mansion. Those looking for audacious gestures will get exactly one – though it is a doozy – but the film’s biggest pleasures mostly lie in the small, often surprisingly heartfelt moments from players both major (DiCaprio, Pitt, and Margot Robbie’s effervescent Sharon Tate) and minor (Damian Lewis, Margaret Qualley, Mike Moh, and so many others). In some ways, this is the most Quentin Tarantino movie ever made, in other ways it’s the least, but overall, it’s a damn good time – even if its final impact is a bit muted compared to the director’s biggest triumphs.

7.5 out of 10