Quentin Tarantino's ninth (and possibly final) movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood hasn't been without controversy.
This mostly centred on the fact that Tarantino was making a movie about the infamous and tragic murder of Sharon Tate, with people jumping to conclusions about how he might mishandle such a sensitive topic.
As it turns out, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood isn't really about Tate or the Manson Family.
Instead, it's very much Tarantino's ode to the last days of Hollywood's Golden Age and it comes with all of the filmmaker's quirks... for better and worse. Overlong and meandering but also lovingly crafted and brilliantly acted, it's the kind of movie that only Tarantino could make.
Set in 1969 Los Angeles, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood largely follows TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his long-time stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), as Rick struggles to adjust to the new era. He's gone from being the lead to the "heavy" who's constantly beaten up by whoever the new Hot Young Thing in town is.
It doesn't help that Dalton's next-door neighbour is up-and-coming movie star Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). But Dalton soon sees it as an opportunity to get back into the big time and avoid doing the Italian Westerns that his agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino) is keen for him to do.
While the marketing material might imply that Margot Robbie has a big role in the movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is primarily the story of Dalton and Booth's friendship as they navigate this new world.
DiCaprio and Pitt are both excellent, sharing an easy chemistry that makes their characters' connection authentic and the scenes that are basically just them hanging out are among the strongest in the movie.
Of the two, DiCaprio gets the best solo scenes, especially during an extended sequence filming the (real-life) Western TV show Lancer, when he connects with his precocious eight-year-old co-star (a scene-stealing Julia Butters).
Pitt doesn't fare as well with his character as it's implied that Booth was involved in the death of his wife. Tarantino never frames Booth as a hero (or Dalton, for that matter), but the handling of the reveal leaves a bad taste as it's played for laughs. At least Booth does get a very good dog in the form of his pitbull Brandy.
As for Robbie, it's very much a supporting role, with Sharon Tate used as a symbol of the change in Hollywood. She lights up the screen and provides a positive counterpoint to Dalton's negativity, but this isn't Tate's story. If you didn't know her tragic link to the Manson Family, you'd wonder why she was in the movie as Tarantino doesn't spell it out and assumes the audience knows.
In truth, the Manson Family subplot feels like it comes from an entirely different movie and is somewhat tacked-on. The two plots eventually come together in a bold third act that has the pace and drive that the rest of the movie sorely lacks but the various members of the Manson Family we meet are loosely-sketched caricatures. Any time the movie focuses on them, it drags.
It's a shame because it's clear that Tarantino loves this world. 1969 Hollywood has been brilliantly recreated with minute period detail, all gorgeously shot by Robert Richardson, and a movie focused solely on Dalton and Booth would be a stronger one. Yet Tarantino gets distracted by the subplot and doesn't seem to know the message he's trying to tell, even contradicting it come the finale.
What can be applauded is that Tarantino has made the movie he wanted to make, even if it comes with the indulgent runtime of his recent movies. It's a rich world with various stars popping up for one-scene cameos but some audiences could find the measured pacing an issue, with some scenes going on for twice as long as they're meant to.
The pacing and weaker story, combined with dialogue that doesn't have the usual zip, are what makes Once Upon a Time in Hollywood a mid-tier Tarantino effort, despite his obvious passion for the era. Some will savour every second; others will find it slow and a bit pointless.
It all culminates in a likely divisive finale that only Tarantino could craft, but whether you dig it or not, you should at least appreciate that in a summer of remakes and franchises, Tarantino is still doing his own thing.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is out now.
Director: Quentin Tarantino; Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie; Running time: 161 minutes; Certificate: 18
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