Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (2019) review

Actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), who's used to playing heroes, is relegated to the bad guy roles and, along with bestie/stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), is worried about his career (they both drink way too much) - elsewhere in L.A., there's some strangeness going around the Spahn Movie Ranch with a bunch of spooky young ladies (including Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning and Lena Dunham) hanging around like the Children of the Corn.  It's Tarantino's lettre d'amour to not just Hollywood but Los Angeles in general: as seen in previous efforts his sense of pacing is very relaxed, and it's really in no hurry to go anywhere, and while that "Six Months Later" title card is a bit of lazy plotting on the auteur's part (sorry, QT), it leads to a memorable (and unexpected) conclusion (the title is how many fairy tales begin after all).  Even though Leo is technically speaking the lead, the Pitt scenes are the most riveting, and his camaraderie with both Leo and his loving pooch are what tie it together as a superb buddy movie.  To the female critic who complained that Margot Robbie (as Sharon Tate) doesn't have enough lines: you do realize she's the angel (with dirty feet) that the movie is seeking to protect, don't you?  Hypothesis: rejected.