Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino, one of the most controversial subjects movie related. You either hate him or love him, there’s no in-between and the same is for his movies. Having recently seen Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood I can say that this one makes no exception.

With an 85% rotten tomatoes score and an 8.0 IMDb rating, the penultimate movie of Tarantino is a love letter to the Hollywood of the 60s. A movie about Rick Dalton(Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth(Brad Pitt) facing the challenges of the industry at that time. In this movie, we see a more personal side of Tarantino, as the story of Rick Dalton and his fear of not being contemporary resembles with Quentin’s fears that his movies are not “new” enough and that his career and fame will fade away.

As I was exiting the cinema I heard all sorts of opinions, very few were praising it. I couldn’t understand why, in my opinion, acting was amazing from absolutely everyone, loved the over the top and exaggerated violence, really funny, music was extraordinary, shot wonderfully, colorful and full of life. Tarantino, as always, does what he does best, making us laugh, scream, clap, he is frightening us and all at the same time, especially in the end. Like all his movies, this one is a roller-coaster of feelings, too.

I can say that this is the most “Tarantino” movie out of all. I even suspect that he mocked his own work by using a lot of frames that he has been criticized along his career, like his famous feet shots. Also, he has always been accused of acclaiming violence and making the bad guy the hero. Now, in this movie, we literally have a guy who murdered his wife being appreciated in the end for his courage and friendship.

Tarantino really drew me into the story managing to make me feel that I was in the 60s. He successfully recreates a golden age of Hollywood with neon signs and vintage cars, absolutely amazing. Nothing is there by mistake, everything is well-thought. The movie is full of easter eggs and subtle references to his past work. You could watch this movie a hundred times and still find something new.

Even though you are not a fan of Tarantino or you’re not familiar with his work I strongly recommend seeing this movie as I think this is the most complex cinematic experience I have ever had.

~Miruna Mihalcea~