Movie Review: Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

Review: An affectionate (though not exactly uncritical) love letter to 60's cinema that is irresistible.

If I were to give you a description of this movie's story, you might wonder how this could possibly fill a 160 minute movie. However this film is hardly about the story. Instead it is about the atmosphere, the characters and the story. Not only does this movie take place in the 1960's but it truly feels like a 1960's movie. This is accomplished not only through how the film likes but how it made as a whole. This is not a fast paced movie by any means, but most 60's movies where much slower paced than Hollywood films of today. Because of this the movie feels more authentic. This movie is also a pure auteur film of the type that where in vouge in the 60's. Quentin Tarantino does not stay invisible behind the camera for a second. His direction is constantly making its presence known. In a lesser filmmakers hands this can be disastrous, but when the right director does it, the effect is incredible and Tarantino is definitely the right director. This is not to give all the credit to the director however.

The cast in this movie is perfect. Leonardo De Caprio puts his whole heart and soul into this role and it shows. He brings a sense of humanity to a character that could seem like just a caricature in a lesser actors hands. A scene in which his character plays the bad guy in a TV show, and finally nails the part, is an especially good example of this. A child actress working with his character (played marvelously by Julia Butters) says "That is the best acting I have ever seen in my life." That might be a tall statement but there is no doubt, that we are witnessing an incredible performance by that scene. Brad Pitt and him have perfect chemistry together and it is just a joy to watch them share the screen. Margot Robbie is a joy as she brings so much joyous energy to the part of Sharon Tate. The scene in which she is watching herself in the movie Wrecking Crew in a theater is a feat for both her acting and Tarantino's directing.

Tarantino loves movies, as all of you should know. This can be felt throughout this film. I have already mentioned the scene inside the theatre with Sharon Tate. As well as a feat for Margot Robbie's acting and Tarantino's directing, this scene also shows us the magic that movies will always have on audiences and why the cinema remains the best way to see a movie. There are also throw away lines, about a character (Al Pacino) watching Rick Dalton double features in which he even talks about watching these films on 35mm. Of course this line shows how deep Tarantino's love for movies being shown on film. The characters constantly talk about movies and TV and do so with an undying affection. There is also some good natured ribbing of movies of the era (in fact much of this movie is laugh out loud funny). This includes a joke about Rick Dalton appearing in an Italian James Bond ripoff, Rick's negative opinion of Spaghetti westerns and a fantastically hilarious scene about The Great Escape. This can also be seen by the great sights of the 1960's style movie theatres lighting up. In the way these scenes are shot there is something awe inspiring and magical about it, something that will certainly resonate with many of us movie lovers.

This film also has a great soundtrack. True to the 1960's period, the music is mostly from that era. Not only does this help the film match the time period, but the music also gives this movie a great energy. It always fits what is on screen and complements it perfectly. Of course the songs (from Paul Revere & the Raiders, The Mamas and the Papas, Neil Diamond, Roy Head & the Traits, Deep Purple, Buffy Sainte-Marie and others) are just great songs and a joy to hear in any context.

This is a fantastic movie on every level. One could argue that its length is longer than it needs to be, but despite this I never got bored. I found this movie a complete pleasure from beginning to end.

-Michael J. Ruhland