Quentin Tarantino has made some of the most iconic films in Hollywood, from cult classics Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill to gory re-takes on history such as Django Unchained, the director has left an imprint in the history of cinema. From all of these great movies he has created though, he chose one that has left fans raising their eyebrows.
Speaking with Howard Stern on the radio host’s SiriusXM show, the director was asked if it was possible for him to pick a favorite, a question Tarantino has heard many times before. Variety reported that the director answered, “For years people used to ask me stuff like that, and I would say something like, ‘Oh, they’re all my children.'” But with the release of his most recent movie back in 2019, the director has finally found a favorite, “I really do think Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is my best movie.”
The film was a critical and commercial success, netting $374 million at the worldwide box office and garnering an impressive number of Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, with Brad Pitt winning the category for Best Supporting Actor and the film’s production design also getting an award.
For many fans of his though, the fact that he has picked this above all other works feels a little off considering some of the other greats he has worked on. Many brought up their own favorites they feel are a step above Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Many gave Reservoir Dogs a shout-out.
And though many think that it is a great film, it isn’t necessarily their favorite of his work.
There were also many that agreed with the director.
And many can see where he is coming from given that it feels like a culmination of his work.
Tarantino believes then, that if Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is his best, then his most misunderstood film has to be Grindhouse. The film was a double feature movie in 2007, helmed by himself and Robert Rodriguez, but it failed to make an impact and sank at the box office, only pulling in $25 million gross. In an interview with Empire, he believes that the reason for this is that the film was a “little too cool for school.”
“I think me and Robert just felt that people had a little more of a concept of the history of double features and exploitation movies. No, they didn’t. At all. They had no idea what the f**k they were watching. It meant nothing to them, alright, what we were doing. “
Whether or not you agree with his favorite choice doesn’t really matter that much to the director, he has his favorite and that may differ from his fans, that’s what having an opinion is.