Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

My Movie Review: Once upon a time in Hollywood

Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in one movie, with Quentin Tarantino directing it, I couldn’t pass this one in theatres! It was everything I imagined it to be and more. I was grinning like an idiot walking out of the theatre because it felt so good. It was such a communal experience too, watching other people getting a good laugh at these audacious characters. A word to the wise: Read up about Sharon Tate before going to the movie.

spoilers ahead

The movie is about Rick Dalton (Leo), an ageing actor who feels that he has become a ‘Has Been’ in Hollywood and is dealing with the fact that he now has to do T.V and Spaghetti Westerns to stay relevant and make money. He has this loyal sidekick, his stunt double Cliff (Brad) who is just a happy-go-lucky kind of person who takes each day as it comes. Together, these two foil the Murder attempt on Sharon Tate by the members of the Manson family on a fateful night. The events leading up to this night and the night itself are so damn funny that you wish it were true.

Leo’s masterful depiction of an actor coming to terms with his obsolescense is hands-down, the best part of the movie. The scene where he has a complete melt down and then owns up to his shit and gives a chilling performance as the Bad guy on a T.V. show was just phenomenal. Brad shines as this guy with a big heart accepting whatever comes his way in contrast to Leo’s Rick Dalton. While these two carry the most weight of the movie, Margot Robbie is used to setup the actual premise of the movie which is the Sharon Tate murders. I didn’t particularly like the way Bruce Lee was portrayed in the movie (Shame on you Quentin for using a legend like that for a few good laughs). But what I did like is this crazy alternate universe where the Manson family decides to attacks Rick Dalton first and he fries one of them ‘to a crisp’. It was just so satisfying and I suddenly remembered why Quentin’s movies are so magical. Vengeance - Because I think while we don’t really seek revenge in real life, it satisfies our carnal instincts in ways we can’t explain. Years of civilized life has suppressed our urges for defending ourselves with violence and we are better because of it, but we still share this subconscious that yearns for blood and gore. And Quentin is great at emulating these emotions. Whether it is chopping the head off of an assassin who murdered your unborn child or it is scraping the heads off of Nazi bastards, Vengeance is his ink and he makes these really bold strokes with it.

I really loved the movie and I suggest you don’t pass it up because we all need some magical realism in our lives especially with all the terrible things happening in real world.