Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ★★★½

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
IMDb Rating | 8.1
Humpo Show Rating | 7.0
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, 
Director: Quentin Tarantino 
Plot Summary: A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles. (IMDb)

Quentin Tarantino cleverly blends fact and fiction into his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing for TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his long-time stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).

As the pair make their way around an industry they hardly recognise anymore, they find themselves on a collision course with the mass murders at the home of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) by the Manson family. The film features an ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

The acting performances of DiCaprio and Pitt were intoxicating. They drew me in effortlessly – one memorable scene was when Dalton was acting in a new film, and he delivers the performance of his career. I had goosebumps.

I did enjoy the added ‘what if’ moment, which makes the film stand out, especially as it is coupled with a memorable ending. The ending, coincidentally, had the most humour too – a bit of a mix of gorish and witty comedy. Plenty of laugh out and ‘oh god’ moments in the 10-minute scene alone.

The cinematography and visuals were fantastic – I really was transported back to Hollywood in the 1960s. The panoramic shots had me transfixed – some of the shots reminded me of the classic Hollywood films that I have watched, so props to Tarantino and his cinematographer, Robert Richardson.

Despite the praise I’ve given the film thus far, for a large part of the opening and middle I was willing the story to hurry on as it was a bit on the slow side. Another point was the fact that there wasn’t much of a storyline – I’ve seen it been described as an ‘experience’, which is probably a fairer way of categorising it.

Given that I’ve rated the film as three-and-a-half stars out of five, the pace and plot of the film did have quite an impact of my viewing of the film. The acting was undoubtedly the highlight, and it made the film quite watchable.

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The Humpo Show | Richard