Didn't know where the heck this movie was going. Very confusing, then like some do it kinds sped up towards very end??

Even after waiting more than a week, I still find it difficult to write a review for this movie. Even the simple question of "did you like it?" or "would you recommend it?" isn't all that simple. Maybe that's how Quentin Tarantino likes it...

I've enjoyed some of his past movies, such as Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight, in that order. I would probably add this movie onto the end of that list. To recommend a Tarantino movie, one must add the caveat about his stylized use of violence in his movies. If you're not up for that, they can be very off-putting.

This movie actually saves that styling until the very end, and even then, it's not to the same degree as I've seen in his other movies. There is a scene at the Manson compound that is saturated with suspense because the viewer knows the danger it represents, even if the character on-screen is blissfully unaware.

Leonardo DiCaprio does most of the heavy lifting here. He gets the thankless job of portraying a has-been actor that is insecure about his current worth compared to his past stardom. He's not a very likable character, but then you see him on an acting job (basically, you're watching a movie within a movie), and his performance is very enjoyable. It provides some valuable insight into his character's struggles with the changing times and his fleeting popularity.

While DiCaprio's Rick Dalton is facing the possible sunset of his career, Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate is at the dawn of hers. The juxtaposition of their perspectives on the world and how they are enjoying life is likely the entire point of the movie. Of course, the movie wants us to be painfully aware of Sharon Tate's fateful encounter with the Manson family. The fact that Tate and Dalton are neighbors plays a part in the telling of this story.

Even though I enjoyed the performances of DiCaprio and Robbie, my favorite performance was from Brad Pitt. Watching him play Cliff Booth, the secondary role as stuntman, errand-runner, and overall best friend to Rick Dalton, was like watching John Wayne in a western movie. He seemed perfectly comfortable doing what he was doing no matter what he was doing, and his performance appeared effortless.

My guess is that there is more to enjoy from this movie that would be evident from multiple viewings. The thing is, I'm not sure that I'm all that interested in doing so. It doesn't really have anything to say, and the ending is both jarring and appropriate at the same time, while leaving the viewer with an unsettled feeling afterward. I'm thinking that might be exactly what Tarantino wanted. One review that I read called it a "hangout movie," where you get to experience a few days in the lives of the main characters. I think that's accurate, and it also describes how limited it is in the feeling it leaves the viewer.

Did I like it? Yes. Can I recommend it? For the most part, yes. Was it the Best Picture of 2019? No.