About the film (courtesy of Columbia Pictures):
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

Over the years Quentin Tarantino has amassed the reputation of being a magnificent storyteller. His movies typically contain a very healthy allotment of strong language as well as a generous amount violence throughout. His “no punches pulled” style of filmmaking brought in many fans but it has also alienated his works from others. There seems to be a widespread love him or hate him feel when it comes to Tarantino. The man is blunt and unapologetic in his words and his works. This sort of reckless abandon makes him even more intriguing to follow. The anticipation of his latest movie, Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood, has reached feverish levels.

In typical Tarantino fashion, the details of the plot of Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood are hazy at best. In keeping the integrity and clandestine wishes of Tarantino and the studio in mind, there will be no real spoilers found here. Pulling from his stable of talented actors of which he’s already had a working relationship with, audiences will be treated to many familiar faces playing large to very small parts in this film.

There’s Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen, Zoë Bell and Bruce Dern. Then there’s the first-timers such as Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry and Al Pacino. One name that is new to Tarantino’s team but is also a veteran by blood proxy is Maya Hawke (Netfix’s Stranger Things), who is the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman (she’s been in a third of his movies).

Weighing in at 161 minutes, Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood allows itself more than enough time to tell its story. Actually it may have overshot things a bit with the slow pacing. I know that Tarantino believes in setting the proper mood for his immersive cinematic experiences but this feels a tad bit excessive. Then there’s the lack of action/violence. These are my two largest negative points I can make about this movie. Otherwise, the acting is great as is the basic, yet creative story that is told. The characters have weight to them so you are reluctant to just throw them out of your mind. Combining that with the always on point score, perfectly fitting soundtrack and a strikingly beautiful canvas, you tend to feel like you’re in good hands with all that is happening.

While Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood is less of a mainstream film than many of its predecessors found in theaters this summer season, there are ample reasons as to why you might want to carve out three hours to check this one out. Don’t expect a high octane brainless production, this is a thinking person’s movie because things will need to sink in before fully resonating with its audiences. While not quite up to par with some of his previous productions, Quentin Tarantino finds the sweet spot between fact and fiction while giving audiences a lot to chew on. You can see comedy drama in theaters now.