This was an incredibly strange movie.
I loved it, but disliked it at the same time. It's obvious that Tarantino is obsessed with the place and period he spent his youth, but for once, his obsessive nature detracts from the overall quality of the film. Far too much time is spent forcing the audience, or at least attempting to force us, to ooh and aah at his perfectly re-created and aesthetically mind-blowing late 60s California. It is however possible for too much of a good thing, and Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is a perfect example of just that. With increasingly pointless joy rides, elongated scenes of local areas, drawn-out narrations (only some), and interactions that serve only to illustrate the linguistic style(s) of the time, the movie shifts from intriguing to wearisome, well before the epic climax. While the pacing left much to be desired, the performances were absolutely phenomenal. DiCaprio and Pitt were as perfect as any tandem could dream of being, and their outrageous characters had me laughing uncontrollably for the entirety of the climax. There were a number of standout scenes throughout, all of which kept me going and waiting for the big finale, but even as satisfying as the ending and those scenes were, it's not practical to overlook how painfully dull parts of the journey were. Tarantino could have easily cut 30-45 minutes from the final project and this film would have been spectacular, maybe even breaking into my top 15 films, but as it stands, it's a good movie that people should watch once, but there's no reason to rush to the theater, or force a second viewing. Tempering expectations and preparing yourself for an even slower paced film than The Hateful Eight, will help people to better appreciate the film. It may alienate your average moviegoer who needs instant gratification every five minutes, but even with the faults I've mentioned, the film in it's entirety deserves a solid rating.
I do hope Pitt receives some recognition from the academy for his role and I hope that Tarantino works with him again. He far exceeded my expectations of what I believed his acting ability to be, and even though he's playing a character he's incredibly comfortable with, he elevates it so much that it's just fucking beautiful. DiCaprio is easily one of the best actors of my lifetime, the guy is stupidly talented and I believe the guy could do fucking anything at this point.
Quote (Durantchoke @ Jul 27 2019 09:37pm)
Must have sucked, I'm sure you loved the scene where pitt takes off his shirt.
Or I was busy after the movie. Not all of us can be here flaming 24/7 Morrow, and while I have nothing but the utmost respect for the commitment you bring each and every minute to this vile troll routine, I think we both know your talents are wasted on me. Best of luck and keep up the terrible work bud.