#MovieMonday: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Review: We S’poreans Won’t Be Able to Relate

Millions of years ago, Jack Neo came out with Long Long Time Ago, and Singaporeans (and Malaysians) went apeshit: it’s been a long while since we had a glimpse of how life was like in the 1960s, and it made a few uncles and aunties shed a few tears.

“How far we’ve come,” they said.

It’s relatable, funny and most importantly, realistic: even the language used by the characters followed history to a T.

Critics gave it a thumbs-up, and while I can’t relate to the setting, it showed me how our parents and grandparents struggled in the past and explained why they could speak Hokkien or Cantonese so fluently while still able to understand Malay easily.

Then came Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a film set in 1969 that’s a throwback to Hollywood’s past.

While I didn’t find myself leaving the cinema halfway, it doesn’t have the same effect as Long Long Time Ago, simply because I can’t relate to it.

Not even when some of the characters are based on real people.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

I’ve to be honest here: the film is directed by Quentin Tarantino, and he’s supposed to be a well-known director. However, the only directors that I know in Hollywood are Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan and J.J. Abrams.

Who’s this Quentin Tarantino, and why is his name splashed all over the film?

It turns out that he’s a veteran director who has directed the Kill Bill movies, and have won multiple awards for his works.

Okay, so don’t pray pray.

Given that this film has a star-studded cast like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, I’m going to take it that it’s a blockbuster that’s going to give Avengers: Endgame a run for its money.

Here’s the trailer:

I know what you’re thinking: that’s it? So…boring?

But here’s what netizens think:

Pretty goody.

Does it deliver?

Yes and no.

Good Performance But Totally Unrelatable

If you intend to watch the film, here’s my advice: do some research before you step into the cinema.

For a start, the main characters are fictional, but the supporting ones are based on real people. It’s hard to discern who’s real and who’s not, for people like us won’t have known Sharon Tate or even people in the Manson family.

Facts and fiction are so intertwined that it feels like a Dan Brown novel, which’ll leave you Wikipedia-ing throughout the whole movie. Is the plot real? Why does it feel more like a Hollywood plot instead of a real-life event?

The star power in the film doesn’t help much unless you’re a fan of uncles Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt—they, together with all the cast, put up such a convincing performance that you’d be transported back to 1969 Hollywood.

But that’s the problem.

To people in the US, they might find everything familiar, but to us, it’s like an alien world altogether. The numerous throwbacks to the 1969 don’t work on a Singaporean like me, and it just makes everything a tad draggier. Thankfully, the pace is fast and some jokes keep me glued to my seat.

With not many new movies coming out, this would a good watch but not a must watch.

Rating: 2.5/5