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My Review of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"

I don't really appreciate Tarantino movies right away, they usually grow on me. That's not the case with this one.

By Brian AnonymousPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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There have been a number of Quentin Tarantino movies that I absolutely hated when they first came out. I used to think that they're pretentious and he marinated certain scenes for a lot longer than they actually needed to be. I would usually watch these movies again at a different time and get a different outlook for the movie. You know what? There's something about his movies that capture your attention. I grew to love a lot of his movies that I absolutely hated when I first saw them.

This isn't the case with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This movie had me in love from the very beginning even though the premise of the movie didn't have me interested at all. This movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton. Rick is a has been actor trying to make it back into the big times. The problem is that he's always being hired as the bad guy for small time TV shows.

Rick's buddy Cliff, played by Brad Pitt has been his bodyguard throughout his career. The problem with Cliff is that he can't find work anymore because of a number of circumstances that happened to him in the past.

This is pretty much a buddy flick of the two flawed characters. The two have drastically different attitudes towards their goals. Rick is obsessive over getting a big break and stresses over all of the little things that could cause him embarrassment. Cliff is the polar opposite. He's a laid back person that just wants to do what's right.

The movie basically goes through their adventures in trying to get work in Hollywood. There's a ton of passive aggressive situations that our heroes encounter that seem to go over like water off a duck's back. These two are veterans after all.

I guess to spice things up Tarantino decided to add a little extra twist by adding to the fact that there's a murderous cult in the neighborhood. This little twist is necessary for the amazing payoff at the end of the movie. The story-lines barely cross paths but I didn't think much of it and just went with it.

I guess we have to consider that it's a retelling of Tarantino's fantasy version of 1969. He has characters in the movie portray real life people that lived back in those 60's. I guess to make it feel more relatable? I guess this was done back when he did Inglorious Bastards. The issue I had was that he had a story with Margot Robbie, as Sharon Tate. She pretty much has no real significance to the story except for the very end.

Maybe I shouldn't have told you that. I think back and she's probably in the movie as someone to throw us for a curveball. You think that she has something more to do with the movie and I really wished she did.

Like I said before the payoff in this movie is spectacular. The last 10 minutes of this movie are probably going to be rewatched over and over again. It's just that good. Although, I think the payoff is only much more rewarding because Tarantino introduced us to each of the characters so well. We have a clear understanding of each of their motivations and have more of an invested interest in the end.

Another thing I have to say about this movie is that it is hilarious. There are scenes that I didn't think I'd laugh so hard at. There is a scene with Rick flubbing his lines and when he gets back to his trailer I almost died laughing. It's interesting because I have never laughed so hard at a Leonardo DiCaprio scene in my life.

Overall, I have nothing but praise for this movie. It was thoroughly entertaining and has an extremely rewarding ending. Aside from some of the "unnecessary" storytelling I thought this movie was an absolute masterpiece. I will continue to watch this movie over and over again. With that, I will have to give this movie a 9 out of 10. You have to see it if you haven't already. I will be suggesting this to as many people as I can.

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About the Creator

Brian Anonymous

I have tons of opinions that change constantly. I watch a lot of movies and play video games. There are some articles on my struggles with languages and dance as well.

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