“Come on inside.”

From Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood.

In February 1969, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a has-been actor desperately trying to keep himself from fading into the shadows of Hollywood’s past.  His friend and stunt double, Cliff (Brad Pitt) works as Rick’s driver, repairman, and house-sitter when Rick’s few roles requires no stunts… which is almost all the time given Rick’s long string of one-episode guest appearances.  While Rick struggles to keep his career alive despite the negativity he receives from producers (like Al Pacino), he finds himself surrounded by new Hollywood talent, such as his neighbors Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and their close friend Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch).  Rick is able to snag a role as the bad guy on a western TV pilot (which stars Timothy Olyphant, Scoot McNairy, and Julia Butters), but the shoot’s stunt coordinator (Kurt Russell) refuses to use Cliff, which leaves him free to drive around Hollywood during the day.  When Cliff gives a young hitchhiking hippie (Margaret Qualley) a ride to the community where she lives, he discovers that it’s actually an old filming ranch where he used to work, and the old owner (Bruce Dern) is no longer the only inhabitant.  Cliff learns that there is a whole group of hippies (including Dakota Fanning, Lena Dunham, Austin Butler, Sydney Sweeney, and Madisen Beaty) that live together under the guidance of Charles Manson (Damon Herriman).  As everyone keeps pushing to avoid being washed-out in Hollywood, dark plans are brewing beneath the surface that will change not only Rick and Cliff’s lives but Hollywood forever.

This star-studded dark comedy is an interesting look at the slightly altered history of the Hollywood of yesterday.  While it is an interesting movie–if not for just the scenery, sets, and props alone–it doesn’t quite seem to completely live up to it’s hype.  While it is still enjoyable and engaging, the slow-burning Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has a little something for every viewer, but maybe not what they were expecting.

| Rated: R | Running Time: 205 minutes |Genre: thriller/action/comedy |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 5* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 4 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|