"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is a Comic Late '60's Throwback With Brad and Leo
By: Keaton Marcus
DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 16, YOU MUST ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU ARE ALLOWED, IF THEY SAY NO…IT MEANS NO!
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85/100 “sweet”
It’s great to see Emile Hirsch in a Tarantino film, awesome job playing Jay Sebring!
Imagine a fairytale type telling about '69, a story interwoven with the heinous crimes of the Manson family and an abundance of hippies. If you got that in the nogan, you've got Quentin Tarantino's 9th film, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". Mix that with stars Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, an actor, his stunt-double, and the tumultuous adventures they have in the decade of peace and love, not war. The storytelling is a little simple in the brain, but the comic overtones will likely help audiences get over the fact that it ain't the best a creative team may hook up. Nevertheless, the performances are excellent, the direction ends spot-on and ultimately its a fun throwback to the late '60s. The run-time may seem a tad overwhelming at the beginning of the picture, but as director Tarantino starts to inject his signature violence and humor, you're nearly guaranteed to have a wild time at the theaters. Bring it on a platter, you've got a talented cast, a solid premise and a lot of crack-ups--what could go wrong?
Rick Dalton (Leo) was a booming, Hollywood bred actor in the '50s. The guy was loved for his over-the-top performances as villains in action films and westerns. Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad) we're inseparable together, and they teared up cinema back then. Hopping to the '60s, Dalton is losing some fame, but his mood craters after a tension-filled meeting with the Italian producer Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino talking business). Schwarz tells him that Dalton's not quite as flourishing as he was a decade or so ago and that he should take some roles in Schwarz's spaghetti westerns and action pics. That does it. Audiences learn that Rick despises Italian films, especially those in the listed genres, he also explains to Cliff that he is a "has-been". Meanwhile, the aforementioned Booth encounters Pussycat, one of the many followers of the dubbed "Manson family". That's the gist of what Tarantino was cooking up the last couple of years, Brad Pitt investigating a murderous cult while Leo Dicaprio ponders over his career.
Again, while there are a couple of plot holes here and there, the comedy, the many brilliant moments and Leo and Brad's chemistry shine. Whether its Cliff reminding Rick of who he is ("remember, you're Rick fucking Dalton") or Dalton scorching Nazis with a flamethrower ("did anybody order fried sour kraut?!"), even a hilarious encounter with martial artist Bruce Lee--Pitt and DiCaprio are astonishing in their chosen roles. They're outrageous together, it's the boys from the 'Wood, the dream team. Especially with the film provided, it's killer. The two all-stars dig up both humor and flounder in a realistic take of white male stardom at the time. If you're not a huge fan of the film or pop-culture references, go to the multi-plex to see Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio's pretty flawless outings in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". If you don't like the stars, well, too bad for you. I say that only cause it's quite literally a 161-minute macho-trip whose job is to put the two actors on a pedestal.
The final opinion is: There are a couple of infrequent issues with the plot, but "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is a blatantly successful Tarantino love-letter to the '60s that features penetrating work from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, along with a sufficient amount of violence, comedy, and wit...$PLURGE IT
By: Keaton Marcus
Opening Weekend: 41m
Domestic Total: 142.5m
Worldwide Total: 374.3m
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