Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

The devotion to scene-setting shown here is so meticulous and focused that one must conclude that it was the entire point of the exercise. For sure, given the context set up by all that lovingly-crafted detail-fetishing, it will be very exciting once this film decides to start telling an actual story—you know, with a plot and all that. The viewer may have to wait a few years past the closing credits for that; perhaps Tarantino will get around to that on a 10th anniversary special edition, on whatever medium is popular and profitable then. Which is to say, there’s really not much in the way of a story here, just a train of character-connected scenes that pay homage to a bygone time and place, with an ominous backdrop to give the whole pastiche a vibe of historical import. None of this is to say these scenes aren’t a lot of fun—for sure they are, particularly Pitt’s ass-kicking encounters. Indeed, all the principals do well in moments here. But the indulgence comes at a cost, conveying a sense —not for the first time in his career—that Q could have achieved something truly transcendent with a little more discipline. Overall, this flick is good, and fun, and worthy of appreciation—but also maddeningly incomplete.