Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood (2019)

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Written by Quentin Tarantino

Distributed by Sony Pictures. 161 minutes. Opening this Friday in theaters everywhere.

When watching a Quentin Tarantino film, here’s what you can expect to see play out in 35mm. You’ll find satire mixed with dark humor, excessive violence, a large ensemble cast of who’s who, and a killer soundtrack, to name a few. His ninth (and possibly final?) film, Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood, is classic Tarantino in the best way possible. There are just enough surprises to make this 3-hour cinematic experience stand out among his infamous repertoire.

Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood is a love letter to the Los Angeles of 1969. The hippie movement was infiltrating into the status quo, movie stars still carried an air of mystery, and the Playboy mansion hosted the most banging pool parties. The times may be calling for peace and love but Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a washed-up TV western star in a midlife crisis, feels that his best years are behind him. His former stuntman-turned-personal assistant, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), echos a similar sentiment although he expresses it in more controlled outbursts.

The duo’s woes are only one of the film’s multiple parallel storylines. There’s Sharon Tate’s (Margo Robbie) blossoming film career and relationship with Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha), the rise of Charles Manson’s (Damon Herriman) “family,” and other one-offs. Similar to Pulp Fiction some ways, fans of Tarantino’s will appreciate his diversion from the traditional linear storyline for a more inventive and unique approach.

It’s undeniable that this cast is something extraordinary. The dynamic between DiCaprio and Pitt is one of the most organic relationships I’ve seen in a long time. They achieve a certain soul-brother vibe that I can only imagine occurs once in a great while. Giving praise to the rest of the brilliant cast would take too long, but some standouts include Margaret Qualley as Manson-flower child Pussycat, Austin Butler as “the devil himself” Tex, Al Pacino as the stereotypically greasy Hollywood agent, pitbull Sayuri as Brandy the dog, and rising star Julia Butters, who plays an overly mature child actor starring alongside Rick Dalton. A near-perfect ensemble (although I couldn’t buy Lena Dunham as a Manson follower), many players here have overlapped in previous films. The most obvious being DiCaprio’s reunion with Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street), although their shared screen time here, unfortunately, lasts only a few minutes.

Perhaps it’s Tarantino’s own nostalgia seeping into the script; having grown up in Los Angeles, the film feels very sentimental and nostalgic of a time and place that holds a special place in his heart. The local hotspots, like Musso + Frank, El Coyote, Frolic Room, and even a loose reference to the theater that he now owns, The New Beverly, all feel like personal touches that Angelinos will fall in love with.

There have been a lot of rumors swirling around Tarantino’s ninth film. Some claim it’s his last, others claim it’s sexist, but one thing is certain: when the film premiered at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, it received a seven-minute standing ovation. Selfishly, I hope that Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood is not Tarantino’s last film, but if it is, he has gone out on top.