Once Upon a Time In Hollywood - Review

Release Date: July 26, 2019​​​​​​​​​

A Big Ol' Meh

Quentin Tarantino is one of the only directors that most moviegoers know by name. That name-recognition comes with a lot of baggage as expectations for upcoming films can be defined by previous work. It’s a problem I saw many audience members battling with while I watched his latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. When most people think of a Tarantino movie, they usually remember the copious amounts of blood and over the top action. What these people seem to not notice, is the excruciating amount of detail put into recreating a time period. Not only are locations dressed up to evoke the past but character mindsets and general behaviors seem ripped straight out of the decade. It’s that lack of understanding, not realising the focus has always been the storytelling through characters with their dialogue. If you go into Once Upon a Time In Hollywood expecting action, you will be very disappointed.

In his ninth film, Tarantino has proved he really likes making movies about things that interest him. He loves the golden era of Hollywood and successfully transports the audience there. Following around an actor and his stunt double make for a really interesting setting. His craftsmanship is on full display as everything seemed perfect, from the lighting to camera movements, it was all top tier. A huge part of making it all work came down to the acting though, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt elevate the material they are given and breathe as much life as possible into the movie. Even with its flawless presentation, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood is hard to watch.

The truth is, there is a severe lack of tension to push the plot forward, nothing is ever really being built up to. Aside from the realistic depiction of Hollywood as a business and the handful of great scenes that will be clipped out and be put on YouTube, the movie is aimless. Other critics might site that they love how the film is a collection of moments, that the break from narrative structure is to be applauded, they are just making up reasons to defend a bad script. With a runtime of two hours and forty minutes, there needs to be something to string the audience along. Just having a good third act doesn’t absolve the rest of the film from all of its sins.

Tarantino proves once again that he is a first-rate director when it comes to the act of making movies, from a technical standpoint there is little to complain about. Whenever you decide to watch one of his films, you will be treated to a curated selection of music that perfectly intertwines with the visuals on-screen. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood could have been really great. but with all the things that it gets wrong, there is little reason to see it. It still features great acting and scenes which still don’t make it a must watch.

Edit:
As more time has passed, I realize the appreciation I have for the craft and quality that Once Upon a Time In Hollywood exudes. I can't forget about the aspects of the movie I do like and all of the nuances that story takes its time planting. If I had known the movie was almost three hours before going to see it, I might have had a better reaction to it. I definitely plan on seeing it again, but probably not in theaters.

5.5/10
I guess fairy tales aren't true