Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

It's Hollywood in 1969 and a washed TV action hero (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt man (Brad Pitt), who is also his best buddy, are struggling with their glory days behind them. Meanwhile, actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) is riding high on a big career and married to director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha). Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, this is a love letter to the 1960s era Hollywood. For those of us who were around at the time, we can share in his affectionate look at 60s pop culture and its celebrities. While I had problems with the film, for the most part I thought was marvelous. The film is overlong with scenes that go on too long and Tarantino uses real life people cruelly. There is a scene with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) where Lee is made to look like a fool. What was the point of the scene other than to get a cheap laugh? Other real life characters include Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis), Joanna Pettet (Rumer Willis), Sam Wanamaker (Nicholas Hammond) and Michelle Phillips (Rebecca Rittenhouse). The film is a revisionist (as was INGLORIOUS BASTERDS) fairy tale so the title is apt. We know from the beginning that it will eventually lead to the Charles Manson murders but this is a fairy tale and Tarantino gives us the ending we would want in real life. But the ending is no less graphically violent (it creeped me out as some audience members gleefully applauded the bloodshed). With Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning as Squeaky Fromme, Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, Lena Dunham, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Luke Perry (his final role), Timothy Olyphant and Michael Madsen.