Once Upon A Time in Hollywood movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Once upon a Time in Hollywood

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours, 41 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

Ah, the Golden Age of Hollywood. Writer/director Quentin Tarantino takes us back to 1969 with entertaining parallel stories of various people in the film industry. The movie earned a 7-minute standing ovation at the Cannes premiere in France and critics are raving. It’s clever, surprisingly funny, stylish, and original, but like all of Tarantino’s movies, it’s also full of bloody, gory, brutal violence.

Tarantino has said that Sergio Leone is one of his favorite filmmakers and he was influenced by his work in Once Upon A Time In The West Once Upon a Time in America. Tarantino also compares this movie to Alfonso Cuaron’s award-winning film last year Roma and describes it as his love letter to Los Angeles.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

People get shot, torched by fire, and beat up. Bloody, brutal violence.
Lots of smoking and drinking. Some drugs.
You see Playboy bunnies in their outfits.
You see Brad Pitt work topless on a roof. When the film premiered in Cannes, the audience applauded when they saw his six-pack abs and how great he looked.
Profanity and F-bombs
Some Spanish with no subtitles.
A young woman offers her “services” to an older man.
Some crude jokes and references.
Feminists are up in arms about the gender stereotypes of women portrayed in the movie. All of the women are portrayed as either pets or shrews. Interesting details are that they also snore and have dirty feet. What’s up with that?

THEMES:

The power of Hollywood and the film industry
Wanting to be relevant in the world
Friendship

THINGS I LIKED:

I know a lot of people who don’t like Leonardo DiCaprio, but I personally think he’s brilliant and one of the most talented actors in Hollywood today. He was absolutely excellent and sure to earn another Oscar nomination for his leading role. Julia Butters’ character tells him, “That was the best acting I’ve ever seen in my whole life.” Indeed.
This is the first time DiCaprio and Brad Pitt have starred together in a movie. This is one of Brad’s best performances I’ve ever seen. Rumor has it they got along so well that they want to do another movie together. He has some of the best lines in the film.
The cast is really terrific and filled with award winners and nominees: Al Pacino, Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Kurt Russell, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Mike Moh, James Remar, Brenda Vaccaro, Rumer Willis, Lena Dunham, and so many more. Great acting all around.
You really feel you’re back in the 1960s. The set design and details are really great.
Tons of Easter eggs and American culture references that only people over 50 will truly appreciate.
Sharon Tate’s sister wasn’t originally happy about this project about her sister but was impressed with Margot Robbie and even let her wear some of Sharon’s jewelry during the scenes. She is thanked in the final credits. August 9^th is the 50^th anniversary of Sharon Tate’s brutal murder by Charles Manson and his hippie “family.”
Quentin Tarantino actually owns the theater that’s mentioned in the movie by Sharon Tate as being a theater for dirty movies. Today, it’s a repertory theater called The New Beverly.
Uma Thurman’s daughter, Maya Hawke, is in the movie. She plays a Flower Girl.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There is some bouncing around from past to present, as well as scenes in movies and TV shows that relate to various conversations. It’s an entertaining style but might confuse some viewers.
It sometimes feels like Quentin Tarantino wanted to make a bunch of mini-movies. The movie is very long almost self-indulgent and takes a long time to connect all of the dots. He meanders through details that you think are going to be important, but aren’t always significant, other than to paint a very nostalgic picture of Hollywood.
It’s sad that Luke Perry and Wayne Maunder both died before the movie was released. Burt Reynolds was going to be in the film, but he died before he was scheduled to shoot his scenes.
Some viewers have said they were bored because nothing happens for a very long time. They make a good point. There is a lack of tension in most scenes and no solid narrative that carries the film. It’s almost a hang-out buddy movie.
Viewers under 50 years old might not understand this is a fairy tale of sorts and not an accurate account of what actually happened.
Tarantino makes fun of Bruce Lee, which is an odd choice.

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