Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Length of film:  161 Minutes

Rated: R Genre: Comedy, Drama

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Luke Perry, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell

IMDB Rank: 7.7/10

Part 1 Time: 93 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  68 Minutes

Where does the first part end? Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) has regained his acting mojo and is delivering great acting performances. Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) is driving a hitchhiker named “Pussycat” to the Spahn Ranch.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “Rick Fu**ing Dalton!” Rick speaks to himself after he is praised by his director and Trudi for his depiction of the character “Lancer.”

First line of dialogue on the second part: “That’s a car, a strange car. Snake go see who’s outside” Squeaky Fromme (Dakota Fanning) directs another cult member to check who is entering the Spahn ranch.

How jarring is it when the first part ends? None, at this point in the film no characters are in danger, nor is there any plot twists. However at this point in the film we are given our first glimpse at ‘the Manson Family.’

Which part is better? Due to the subject manner, the film is clearly split into two parts. In part one, we are introduced to Hollywood during the mid 1960’s and experience what it was like to work in the film industry during the “Golden Age.” Part two, explores the cult group ‘the Manson Family’ and their 1969 home invasion of Sharon Tate. Due to the content being explored, part two is given an edge over part one, as we are able to experience an alternation of this horrible event in Tarantino style fashion.

Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Production Design, Best Picture (Nominated), Best Director (Nominated), Best Actor (Nominated- Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Original Screenplay (Nominated), Best Cinematography (Nominated), Best Costume Design (Nominated), Best Sound Mixing (Nominated), Best Sound Editing (Nominated)