Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…
”So Rick, who's gonna beat the shit out of you next week? Mannix? The Man from U.N.C.L.E.? The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.? How about Batman and Robin?” Once upon a time in Hollywood er Tarrantinos kærligheds erklæring til 60ernes Hollywood. Som en der selv elsker film fra 60erne var jeg allerede fra starten solgt. DiCaprio spiller en falleret skuespiller i sin karrieres efterår i en af hans bedste præstationer. Jeg køber ham som den småstammende Rick Dalton, der er ved at nå vejens ende på hans karriere, og hvis eneste mulighed tilbage er at spille badguys i tv-serier piloter eller tag til Italien, og gys, begynde at lave italienske westerns og action film. Jeg har så meget brug for at se tv-serien Bounty Law med Rick Dalton. Det ligner en tv-serie jeg ville elske. Sammen med hans bedste ven og stuntman Cliff Booth, spillet af Brad Pitt, kæmper han for at finde sin rolle i et Hollywood han ikke længere kan genkende. Jeg knuselsker Tarrantinos kompositioner, brug af kamera og musik.
Great performances and depth. Brad Pitt stole the show for me, personally. That being said, and without coming across as snobbish, there is a certain selective sophistication. Certain characters and scenes are prime Tarantino, while a lot of them meander and goof off in a way that leaves you just a little embarrassed. It is a fun watch, if a little long, but ultimately I don't think this will be remembered or discussed in the manner of the rest of his filmography. It felt like it wasn't sure what it wanted to be, and ultimately was a nice homage to Hollywood.
