Review: Once upon a time in hollywood

Once Upon, for the most part, is devoid of story. Tarantino pays tribute to 60s TV by recreating a lot of scenes from that era. It is repetitive, indulgent and breaks the momentum of the larger story.

The main story is about an actor trying hard to stay relevant in a changing generation. It’s about a stunt double whose fate is tied to the actor's. It's about an actress who has a promising career ahead. There are some brilliant scenes but only few and far between. Compliments of a child actor bring Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) to tears. Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) watches her own movie in the theatre and relishes audience's reaction. We get glimpses of their ambitions, struggles, and we root for them to succeed (which makes the end devastating!). 

Tarantino's eerie, atmospheric style comes alive towards the end. To feel it's full impact, I recommend looking up Charles Manson murders. Members of Manson cult murdered Sharon Tate and her friends in her house in 1969. Once Upon gives us a 'what if' version of it, showing us how random turn of events could extinguish or restore dreams. The characters we care for get a satisfying conclusion. And that makes us rue what actually happened.

The end is poignant but the film just takes too long to get there. Three stars. ***