Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Julia Butters, Austin Butler, Margaret Qualley, Mike Moh, and more.

The Intro:
Here it is! The 9th film from Quentin Tarantino. The man needs no major introduction or even a discussion about his previous films. With “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”, the world has been waiting and now we have watched. Here is the Oberrated Review of “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”!

IMDB Summary:
“A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.”

The Oberrating:
As most would know, a Tarantino film almost always showcases some of the best acting performances in film. Gritty, convincing, serious, and shocking. These qualities follow almost every male and female putting their talents into a QT film. Hollywood is no exception to this statement. This cast from the top down is unreal. DiCaprio, Pitt, Qualley, Butters, Butler, Moh, simply everyone. DiCaprio has a few scene sequences that are unreal and have stuck with me to this moment and will continue to. Pitt is as engaging as ever. Young Julia Butters puts on a clinic in just a few short scenes. I would love to see Julia continue to grow into a movie star cause there is certainly the potential.

As for the story of Hollywood, Tarantino takes a Pulp Fiction style approach to it, delivering multiple linear stories running alongside of one another. As a major fan of “Pulp Fiction” this was fun to watch yet also not nearly as effective as I feel “Pulp Fiction” was. Also, Hollywood felt far too long for my taste. Again, I loved the performances, they easily carry the story well and gave me something to stay invested in but as far as following along and feeling invested in the story, it was far too long. “Pulp Fiction” felt perfect and no one’s story was overextended but Hollywood felt too much at times. I even had a brief moment when I looked at the time to gauge how much longer the movie would be going for. This proved as a conflict for me as I was coming down to my final rating.

The Wrap-Up:
Not too heavy of an Oberrating since this movie is a through and through performance driven film. “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” is unbelievable in regards to performance. Once again, the entire cast is full of top notch actors, new and old. Veteran performers once again show why they have the credibility that they do. Newer performers may have just stamped their place in Hollywood itself. However, “Hollywood” does not go without blemishes. At least in its biggest (and maybe, only?) blemish is the length and pace of the movie itself. I definitely felt the length, personally, and it seems that is a big divide in any kind of criticism between in favor and against. I fully understand those that say they did not feel it was too long but clearly I fall more in favor of it being a little lengthy. Nonetheless, hardly any criticism to hurt the rating but most definitely the differing factor between two numbers. “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” is worth the hype. Tarantino provides yet another trip of a film and further expands his wildly entertaining and unique film experience as all know and love. A love story with old school Hollywood through and through.

Other Takeaways:

• To address the Bruce Lee situation, Mike Moh is exceptional. Do I feel this was a misrepresentation of who Lee was? Yes. Do I recognize how this is a Tarantino film and he very rarely follows history? Absolutely. I stand on the side of film fiction on the stance.
• I stan DiCaprio
• Pitt bringing back the rough and gruff accent made my life.
• Once again, bravo to miss Butters.
• Four scenes stand as my favorite scenes. DiCaprio in his trailer, DiCaprio first interaction with Butters, DiCaprio and the second interaction with Butters, finale scene.

Rating: 4/5
Almost was a 3.5/5 due to length but the lasting effect of the movie and my admiration for performance moved it to 8.

References:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7131622/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7131622/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast