Tarantino's Brutal Take on Mumblecore: 'What the F*** Is This?'
The legendary filmmaker reveals his harsh opinion on the indie movement that swept cinema while he was making Inglourious Basterds, though one film managed to impress him.
Every movie lover has preferences. Some genres click, others don't. For Quentin Tarantino, mumblecore needed exactly one viewing to reach a verdict.
His cinematic tastes run deep and specific. Since Reservoir Dogs, the director has championed Clint Eastwood westerns, Sergio Leone epics, late-80s Hong Kong action flicks, early Brian De Palma thrillers, B-horror gems, and gritty exploitation cinema. Marvel movies? Hard pass.
The Mumblecore Movement
While Tarantino filmed Inglourious Basterds in Germany, a new wave emerged stateside. Young filmmakers with tiny budgets started shooting intimate character studies with friends. They focused on natural dialogue over plot, usually confined to one or two locations to stretch their limited funds.
Critics labeled it 'mumblecore.' Greta Gerwig, crowned the movement's queen, despises that term but can't escape it.
Tarantino's Reaction
'All that mumblecore stuff happened when I was in Germany doing Inglourious Basterds, so I didn't even know about it,' Tarantino told Vulture. When he finally learned about the subgenre, his response was immediate: 'What the fuck is this shit?'
Makes sense. A director who thrives on explosive action sequences, killer soundtracks, larger-than-life characters, and stylized violence wouldn't naturally gravitate toward low-key relationship dramas.
The Exception
The Duplass brothers earned his respect though. '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,' Tarantino explained.
Mitchell's response killed any deeper exploration: 'You saw the good one. They're not all like that. You reached into a pickle barrel and grabbed the right pickle.'
That conversation ended Tarantino's mumblecore journey. Why dig further when you've already found the diamond? Even Noah Baumbach, whom Tarantino admires and compares to Paul Mazursky, couldn't sell him on the broader movement.