Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Ending Explained

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Ending Explained

Even by Tarantino standards, this ending was pretty wild. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be explaining the ending of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

If you haven’t seen this alternate view on the Tate murders yet, keep in mind this video is one big spoiler.

In 2017, it was reported than writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s next film would involve the Manson family and that Margot Robbie was a favorite to play actress Sharon Tate. While not a household name, Tate’s story is one of the most tragic in Hollywood history. On August 9, 1969 in the Los Angeles house she rented with husband Roman Polanski, Tate was murdered along with her friend/ex-lover Jay Sebring, aspiring writer Wojciech Frykowski, Folger coffee heiress Abigail Folger and bystander Steven Parent. What’s worse, Tate was eight and a half months into her pregnancy. These shocking murders were carried out by members of the Manson family at the order of cult leader Charles Manson.

Throughout “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the audience can’t help but feel dread whenever Tate appears on screen, knowing her days are numbered. The tension climaxes in the third act when night falls on the night the murders are supposed to take place and we get a glimpse of a very pregnant Tate. In true Tarantino fashion, however, matters take a highly unexpected turn as we approach the final curtain. Earlier in the film, Charles Manson himself dropped by Tate’s house where he confronted Sebring. Manson is looking for Terry Melcher, a record producer who had previously rented the house. In real life, Manson had aspirations to be a musician and was angered when Melcher blew him off. Although Melcher was long gone by August 1969, Manson ordered his follower Tex Watson to go 10050 Cielo Drive and “totally destroy everyone in that house, as gruesome as you can.”

Watson went to Melcher’s former residence with three female members of the Manson family: Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia Krenwinkel. Just like in real life, the film also depicts Watson driving to Tate’s neighborhood with three women, although Krenwinkel is given the nickname of “Katie” and Atkins is referred to as “Sadie.” The third female criminal, played by Maya Hawke, is credited as “Flower Child” in the credits, although we’re guessing she’s supposed to be Linda Kasabian. In reality, Kasabian was instructed to remain with the car as a lookout while Watson, Atkins, and Krenwinkel committed the murders. This is somewhat similar to what we see in Tarantino’s film, as “Flower Child” does stay with the car. Instead of acting as a lookout, though, she panics and drives off. Kasabian actually testified that she considered driving away, but she feared that her daughter at Spahn Ranch may be put at risk.

This isn’t the only major detour “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” takes from the truth. Instead of breaking into Tate’s house, the Manson family recognize her neighbor Rick Dalton, a fictional western actor played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Since Rick has starred in so many violent projects, the Manson family decide that his house would be a more fitting target. What they don’t realize is that Dalton has a stunt double who can give Bruce Lee a run for his money. Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, quickly remembers Tex from their encounter at Spahn Ranch. Although he’s been smoking a cigarette laced in acid, this doesn’t prevent Cliff from wiping the floor with the three Manson family members. Cliff isn’t alone either, as his well-trained dog is ready to sic balls and Rick’s new wife also knows how to fight back. Even Rick eventually gets in on the action, breaking out the flame-thrower he used to kill some “Nazi bastards” in one of his movies.

All the commotion leads to Rick meeting Sebring, who in turn introduces him to Tate. None of them realize it, but if Rick hadn’t yelled at the Manson family earlier that night when they pulled up, Tate and her houseguests would be dead. This isn’t the first time Tarantino has taken liberties with history. In “Inglourious Basterds,” World War II is brought to a close when Adolf Hitler and his followers are blown up in a movie theater. Come to think of it, the Nazi movie Rick starred in kind of looks like the B-movie version of “Inglourious Basterds,” which adds up since all of this takes place in Tarantino’s Realer Than Real Universe. If Hitler was assassinated in this world, it’s not much of a stretch to have Sharon Tate survive.

When people hear the title “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” then expect to get something ultra-violent, along the lines of “Once Upon a Time in the West” or “Once Upon a Time in Mexico.” Indeed, we do get an insanely violent finale, but not in the way some might anticipate. The film not only rewrites Tate’s story, but leaves us on a surprisingly optimistic and even happy note. Then again, this makes sense when you consider that the first four words of the title are “Once Upon a Time,” which audiences tend to associate with fairy tales. In a bizarre way, that’s what Tarantino has made here: a modern fairy tale.

At one point in the film, Rick has a conversation with a gifted child actress who says that she’s reading about Walt Disney. From “The Little Mermaid” to “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Disney films are known for taking dark, twisted stories and giving them happier endings. That’s exactly what Tarantino has done in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” On one hand, Sharon Tate is almost a red herring here, taking a backseat to Rick and Cliff’s stories. On the other hand, Tarantino uses his film to give Tate the ending she deserved.

While the movie’s ending is left somewhat ambiguous, Tate supposedly goes on to have her baby and continues her acting career. Maybe she even introduces Rick to Polanski, giving his career a shot in the arm. Who knows? Maybe in this universe, Rick lands the lead role in “Chinatown” instead of Jack Nicholson. Whatever awaits them as the 1960s draw to a close, it’s safe to say that they all lived happily ever after.