Quentin Tarantino’s Unfiltered Take on Mumblecore Films
Quentin Tarantino doesn’t mince words when it comes to the mumblecore subgenre, revealing why its style leaves him cold despite his respect for some of its key figures.
Personal taste in cinema is a curious thing. Even the most devoted film enthusiasts have their blind spots—genres or styles that simply don’t resonate, no matter how many times they give them a go. Quentin Tarantino, never one to shy away from a strong opinion, found himself in precisely this position after encountering a particular cinematic trend. His preferences have always been rather transparent, stretching back to his earliest days behind the camera. While his knowledge of film history is nothing short of encyclopaedic, it’s clear that certain approaches to filmmaking are far more to his liking than others.
He’s long been vocal about his admiration for the likes of Clint Eastwood’s westerns, Sergio Leone’s iconic work, the energetic action flicks from Hong Kong’s late-80s and early-90s golden era, early Brian De Palma, and the rough-and-ready world of B-grade horror and exploitation. He’s even partial to the odd big-budget studio production—unless, of course, it’s a Marvel affair. Yet, there are some corners of the cinematic world that seem entirely at odds with his sensibilities, and one of the more recent trends left him particularly baffled.
Mumblecore: A Movement Dividing Audiences
As the 21st century rolled on, a new wave of filmmakers emerged, often working with little more than a handful of friends, a shoestring budget, and a couple of locations. The focus shifted from elaborate plots to the ebb and flow of conversation, with character interactions taking centre stage. This approach, eventually labelled ‘mumblecore’, didn’t sit well with everyone. Greta Gerwig, frequently cited as a leading light of the movement, has made no secret of her distaste for the term, though she’s never quite managed to shake it off. Being dubbed the ‘Queen of Mumblecore’ comes with its own set of challenges, after all.
Tarantino, for his part, has a soft spot for Noah Baumbach, once likening him to Paul Mazursky for his generation. Yet, the broader mumblecore phenomenon left him more than a little perplexed.
“All that mumblecore stuff happened when I was in Germany doing Inglourious Basterds, so I didn’t even know about it,”
he admitted in conversation. Given his penchant for bold set pieces, memorable soundtracks, and characters who are anything but understated, it’s hardly surprising that his reaction to the subgenre was less than enthusiastic.
First Impressions and Lasting Judgements
After reading up on what defined these films, Tarantino’s response was as blunt as ever:
“What the fuck is this shit?”
Still, he was willing to give it a fair shake. The Duplass brothers, for instance, managed to win him over—at least temporarily.
“I said to my friend Elvis Mitchell, ‘Have you seen any of those mumblecore movies? I was curious and watched Baghead, and I thought it was really good,”
he recalled. That single viewing, however, proved to be something of a turning point.
Mitchell’s reply was telling:
“You saw the good one. They’re not all like that. You reached into a pickle barrel and grabbed the right pickle.”
Rather than encouraging further exploration, this comment seemed to confirm Tarantino’s suspicions. If he’d already stumbled upon the standout example, there was little incentive to dig any deeper. The subgenre, it seemed, was never destined to become a favourite, even if a handful of its creators managed to earn his respect.