Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Ending Explained
Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood builds to a wild twist on real history. The movie follows fading TV star Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his stuntman buddy Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt. They live in 1969 Los Angeles, right when the Manson Family murders shook Hollywood. In real life, those killers targeted Sharon Tate and her friends. But Tarantino rewrites that night like a fairy tale, giving everyone a happy ending.[2]
The tension ramps up on a hot summer night. Rick is home alone, drinking and watching TV after a tough day on set. Cliff heads out after giving Rick’s dog Brandy some acid-laced dog food by mistake. On the way, Cliff picks up a hitchhiking hippie girl named Pussycat, whom he met earlier. She invites him to Spahn Ranch, the old movie ranch where the Manson Family hides out. Cliff checks on his old boss George Spahn but senses something off with the hippies. He leaves without trouble.[1]
Back in Hollywood, three Manson followers drive up to the wrong house. They think it belongs to Terry Melcher, who once lived there and rejected Charles Manson’s music demo. The killers, led by Tex Watson, include Sadie (Susan Atkins) and Katie. They park and walk up Rick’s driveway, armed with knives and a gun, ready for murder.[1][3]
Things explode when they reach Rick’s pool. Rick blasts music from his house, playing a Western show he starred in. The hippies tell him to be quiet. He steps out confused, mistakes them for pranksters, and sprays them with a flame thrower from his prop collection. One hippie burns up screaming. The others freak out.[1]
Cliff hears the noise from his yard. High on the acid dog food, he stumbles out with Brandy. Sadie attacks Cliff with a knife. He fights back hard, stabbing Tex in the leg during the chaos. Brandy jumps in, mauling Sadie badly. Cliff bashes Tex’s head until his neck snaps. Brandy finishes Sadie by biting her face. Katie tries to flee but Rick torches her too. The last hippie runs off scared.[1][2]
Police sirens wail as Rick and Cliff sit bloodied by the pool. Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, hears the fight from next door. She waves over the fence, unharmed, with a big smile. Her house stays safe. The gate opens to her place in the final shot, like a dream come true.[2][3]
This ending flips history. Tarantino saves Tate and knocks Manson off his infamous path. No murders happen. Rick gets a career boost from the headlines. Six months later, he films in Italy, marries Francesca Capucci, but faces money woes from his fancy house. He sadly lets Cliff go, but they fly back together, drink hard, and part as friends.[1]
The film feels like a love letter to old Hollywood. It mixes real events with fiction, letting heroes win in a brutal showdown. Cliff and Brandy become unlikely saviors. Tate lives on in this fantasy world.[2]
Sources
https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EC%9B%90%EC%8A%A4%20%EC%96%B4%ED%8F%B0%20%EC%96%B4%20%ED%83%80%EC%9E%84…%20%EC%9D%B8%20%ED%95%A0%EB%A6%AC%EC%9A%B0%EB%93%9C
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfq42Ijo_BE
https://www.avclub.com/let-s-talk-about-the-ending-of-once-upon-a-time-in-ho-1836673488
