Charlie Says

I consider myself to be an amateur "expert" on the Manson Family/Murders. This film has some historical inaccuracies (Linda Kasabian drove the murderers on both nights). But despite a few technical errors, it is a sensitive fiction of how the women came to grips with what they had done. But before you feel sorry for the Manson Girls know these facts: Susan Atkins had an extensive rap sheet long before knowing Manson. Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten were street-wise acid heads prior to falling under Manson's "spell". So don't be fooled into thinking that this trio were sweet, innocent virgins. Manson ordered the killings to appear as copy-cat murders to free Bobby (who appears early in the movie and would later kill musician Garry Hinman, along with Susan Atkins) It was refreshing to see a portrayal of Charlie that was not evil incarnate. Manson was nuts, but not a 24/7 paranoid psychopath. This portrayal is probably closer to the truth. I enjoyed it immensely. But we will never know the complete truth about the two nights of mayhem in August, 1969.

"Charlie Says" is ultimately a white wash of the horror committed by the Manson Family--it features the roles of the females in two of our nation's most gruesome and horrifying slaughter of completely innocent people to date which no one will forget--least of all the victims' families.

The true facts of the atrocities committed by the Manson Family (including the three women featured in this movie) and historical events are either omitted or not nearly accurate in the movie--the facts and events have been tweaked, whitewashed, slanted to tilt the viewers' feelings towards sympathy for the three Manson women rather than towards legitimately earned feelings of horror, shock, and disgust for the heinous murders they committed.

The movie shows Charlie Manson as the leader of these misfit women of the Manson Family supposedly by using mind control but this was not clearly shown as the women did have freedom and were free to leave. So, the power of mind control theme in the movie falls apart here. One is left to think that these women of the Manson Family went from a herd mentality of sociopaths to psychopathic murderers willingly--just following the herd.

The movie is not great, by a long shot.

This movie shows a side of the story that hasn't been depicted before. That is enough to appreciate the premise.

Charles Manson was a very sexist and racist man. He used, manipulated, and brainwashed both young women AND men who he could tell were naive and vulnerable.

Anyone who has thoroughly researched the Manson family will know the women were treated worse than in this film. One disturbing example is they weren't allowed to eat until after the dogs. Feminism was really at it's zenith in the late 60s. Representing feminism in the film is realistic to the time period.

These women would have never murdered had they not crossed paths with Charles Manson. Of that, there is no doubt in my mind. Many people were living in communes at the time. The members of "The Family" ended up in the wrong one, not knowing what lay ahead, not knowing they were being groomed by a sadistic madman.

This movie isn't excellent, but it does not deserve a 5.6. Voting it down because you don't like feminism is a very very sad point of view.

6.5/10

When I first met Charlie, I just knew. Hopped on a bus and I never looked back.

Charles Manson seems to be a hot topic this year. Not only there's the Tarantino movie "Once upon a time ... in Hollywood" in which the Manson Family plays a prominent role, but also this "Charlie Says" focuses on this cult leader from the 60s. It's rather a docu-drama in which the person Manson himself isn't really the central topic. Rather, it's the female members of the Manson family who receive the most attention. A mixed bag of vulnerable, somewhat naive young girls who probably don't realize that Manson's sermons are pure nonsense due to the abundance of soft drugs and the eating of not so kosher mushrooms. Delusions presented by a confused mind. A despotic person and a bundle of contradictions.

The actresses Hannah "Game of Thrones" Murray, Sosie Bacon and Marianne Rendon, who played the characters Leslie van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins respectively, acted generally convincingly. The way these young ladies accept their fate while sitting in adjacent cells waiting for their death penalty is not only frightening but also shows how brainwashed they are by the Machiavellian Manson. Their empathetic attitude towards the horrific facts shows how convinced they are that nothing criminal has been committed by them. In their eyes, it was a necessary thing to do. But mainly because "Charlie said it". Hence the title of this film.

The biggest disappointment is Charles Manson himself, played by Matt Smith. The character lacked charisma. Apart from his sometimes eccentric reasonings and tantrums, I didn't get the idea of dealing with a psychopathic, manic person here. Rather he's a strange hippie with a fake beard who prefers to strum a guitar and who enjoys how the young girls gawk at him full of adoration. Furthermore, I am not a fan of flashbacks. And let that now be the basis of this film. So expect a huge amount of back and forth jumping in time. However, if you aren't familiar with this Manson phenomenon and what this insane cult leader is guilty of, "Charlie Says" is an excellent starting point to discover it. Perhaps the film scores high in originality by showing the whole from the point of view of the female cult members. But still, I recommend watching the films "Helter Skelter" from 1976 and "The Manson family" from 2003.

More reviews here: movie-freak.be

Kudos to the creative side for taking a look at this from the side of the female members of the Manson Family. As others have said it was just a little slow and didn't seem to get the most out of a pretty good cast. I don't think the film seeks to absolve the females of their guilt. I think they just tried to take an honest look at how vulnerable people can get indoctrinated. I would also disagree with those who call this a feminist movie, the movie does not seem to have any agenda just looks at these tragic murders from a different perspective. There is some nudity and sexuality which I think is necessary to accurately reflect the nature of the Manson Family Cult. As others have said, the movie is split between the flow of events in 68-69 and jail interviews after the trials. The jail scenes IMO are the best. The scenes at the ranches are a bit dark and tedious at times. There is one odd historical inaccuracy listed below. WARNING ONE SPOILER: In the film, Manson accidentally meets Sharon Tate then immediately sends the family out to kill her. This accidental meeting did take place but was several months before the murders.