Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

THE GIST: Once famous Rick Dalton roams the streets of a Hollywood that seems to have forgotten about him, trying to revive his moribund career. He's always accompanied by his onetime stunt-double and now close friend Cliff Booth. He lives next door to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, while not too far a certain Charles Manson holds court with his band of fanatics.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is very obviously Quentin Tarantino's love letter to the version of Hollywood he considers to be its zenith, that of the late '60s, early '70s.

It's a good movie, excruciatingly curated in everything from costumes, to set decoration, to hair and makeup. The score is good and the acting exceptional, especially from Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. Pitt won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work here, and it's well deserved.

This alternative reality makes you think how different things would be if one of Hollywood's bloodiest chapters never got written.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Tarantino is a very peculiar director and his work can be uniquely polarizing. I, like most, enjoy some of his movies and really dislike some others. This one falls solidly into the "nice work" list, even though I did find it a bit too long.

Grade: 7.5