Problems
While this is a phenomenal film, nothing is perfect, and with Tarantino he has some recurring problems that can take you out of the moment.
The Feet
It wouldn't be a Tarantino review without mentioning his foot fetish. Both of his lead female stars get shots of their feet that take up the whole screen. The worst part about the usage of these women's feet is the realism of their usage. Even if Manson Family members would walk around half naked, and Sharon Tate liked to walk around barefoot, it still doesn't excuse me spitting up my popcorn because I'm flashed with a pair of filthy feet. So while it does give us hints to what their characters are like, it's pretty easy to tell that he is overdoing it.
Reviving Tate - Saviour Complex
Another recurring issue with Tarantino is that he has a savior complex in his script writing. He enjoys solving issues that have happened in history by gruesomely murdering those responsible. He has done this in Inglorious Bastards, Django Unchained, and of course, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. However, unlike most what-if takes on history, we never see the byproduct of the change. The build-up to these (especially in Inglorious bastards) feels like he wants to swoop in and solve a situation without doing any of the heavy lifting in order to excuse his graphic climaxes. This isn't such a problem in Django. Still, in Once Upon A Time and Inglourious Bastards, he gets to kill Hitler and the Manson family in very impromptu situations that somehow make everything ok. On top of that, this only stops a handful of the Manson Murders, and only spares a single year of fighting in World War 2. But the real problem with these what-if situations (not so much in Inglourious Basterds) is that they blur the line between fiction and reality. Especially because of the lasting popularity of his movies, with Manson becoming far less known in recent years, the history becomes background information for this film instead of a tragedy to take a lesson from.
Pop Culture - Focus On Vibes
The movie relies a lot on vibes for enjoyment, and while it has an entertaining story, there are plenty of aspects and details that are solely there as pop culture references. Tarantino usually has very good dialogue, with the highlights of it being how natural it is. While people make pop culture references in day-to-day conversation, Ricks lines saying "alright Audey Murphy" or "Dennis hopper, move this fucking piece of shit!" feel forced. While the majority of the references feel natural, unless you're in the headspace of treating them like they're normal, they won't flow the way they're intended. Then we have the plethora of scenes dedicated to vibes, such as Cliff driving or Sharon partying. These scenes are fun, but that's more or less the only reason why they're there. They give you better insights into the characters and the world; however, if you are overly critical of movies, your first thought will be to call these scenes lazy or pointless. The only advice I have for this issue is not to take this movie so seriously. Being able to sit back and ride with these vibes allows you to enjoy the movie the way it's meant to be enjoyed.
