Once upon a time. in Hollywood

Hollywood in 1969: Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) was once a big TV star. But he never quite managed to make the leap to the big screen. And now, after the end of his own series, he's only hired as a villain in other shows, where he gets beat up mightily by their heroes. A sure sign that his career is going downhill. Although his longtime stunt double Cliff Both (Brad Pitt) supports him in all aspects of life, Rick becomes more and more consumed by self-doubt. Both men are trying to survive in an industry that is rapidly changing and spawning new stars like Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).

Nothing more needs to be said about the content of Quentin Tarantino's Once upon a time. in Hollywood. With his ninth film, the cult director delivers a very big declaration of love to the golden age of Hollywood. The story is almost secondary. Tarantino really loses himself in how he has brought the Hollywood of the late 1960s back to life with a detail-loving set, another brilliant choice of music and great camerawork. He bows to the great masters, but also doesn't skimp on ironic asides to the film industry.

The film is carried by a great acting duo: Brad Pitt and especially Leonardo DiCaprio deliver truly outstanding performances here that combine with the dialogue, which Tarantino has once again masterfully written, to create a cinematic treat. The fact that for long stretches of the almost three-hour work quite little happens and is primarily talked about would probably break the neck of any other film. Not so here. It works so well here that you (almost) don't notice how quickly 161 minutes can go by.

Admittedly, there are some lengths. For instance, one scene watching Rick Dalton shoot drags a bit, to the point where the actual story is almost forgotten. No question, this sequence is great acting and brilliant writing. But at some point you as a viewer have the feeling that you are suddenly in a completely different movie and that disturbs the narrative flow a bit. It's also a pity that in comparison the appearances of some great supporting actors like Al Pacino or Kurt Russell are far too short. The same goes for Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, who was always portrayed as the third main character in the trailers. In the film, she plays an important, but nowhere near as central a role as one might have expected based on the trailers.

But in the end, the perfectly valid criticisms fade completely into the background. For Once upon a time. in Hollywood is exquisitely crafted entertainment cinema with great acting and a final act that can only be described as brilliant. Tarantino has crafted a first-rate melange of homage and fairy tale that is fun to watch from the first second to the last. Surprisingly bloodless by Tarantino's standards, but carried by his usual iconic dialogue - and for the great cast alone: definitely worth seeing!!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp