Review: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood(2019)
Rated R; Run Time:2 hours and 41 minutes
Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is about a washed up actor named Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his best friend/Stunt Double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) in 1969 Hollywood, who struggle to keep their careers afloat in a time when the industry was more focused on the next big star and always ready to throw dirt on fading, aging movie stars, like Rick Dalton.

Once is an original film from legendary writer/director, Quentin Tarantino and features two excellent performances from DiCaprio and Pitt, both appearing together in a film for the first time. Their onscreen chemistry is the #1 reason to see this film. The story unfolds like reading a novel, an activity that is lost on people in these fast paced information  loaded Internet days we live in. It rewards the patient moviegoer who is willing to give the film a chance with laying its story telling foundation in the first hour or so. Things do start connecting at the halfway mark, with the explosive ending providing the payoff you'd expect from a master filmmaker like Tarantino.
                                                     The film succeeds on the pairing of DiCaprio and Pitt. They go together like shoes and socks, french fries and ketchup. We get to know Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth in such an intimate way that by the time the film is over you are sad to see the story end. You see their hopes and dreams rise and fall over the course of the 2 hour and 41 minute run time.
                                                    I can't forget to mention another performance in the film that is a slice of real life history. It's a subplot that features Sharon Tate and the (Charles) Manson family and how the fictional characters of Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth find themselves caught up in a slice of horrific American History. Margot Robbie brings Sharon Tate to life in a beautiful and graceful performance. She has very few lines in the movie, but her presence has a powerful and haunting  impact on the film.
                                                  Once is like stepping in a time machine and finding yourself in 1969. everything looks and feels like that time period, a time when the trends and styles of the 60's were coming to an end and the rise of the 70's were on the horizon. Tarantino captures all of this in a brilliant fashion. Then there's that crazy final 20 minutes.
                                                If you've seen any of Tarantino's films then you know that there is always plenty of profanity and graphic violence on hand. That shouldn't be a surprise to the average moviegoer.
                                                  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is one of the best films I've seen so far this year. Tarantino has created a film that is funny, exciting and haunting and delves into the soul of three people who want to be recognized and appreciated by the people around them.
                                                  I give Once Upon a Time in Hollywood an A.