Kerlene Faith (Merritt Wever), a graduate student teaching a course about rehabilitation, accepts an offer to visit a prison to try to rehabilitate Leslie Van Houten (Hannah Murray), Patricia Krenwinkel (Sosie Bacon) and Susan Atkins (Marianne Rendon) , three women who are convicted of murdering people with the infamous Charles Manson (Matt Smith). The women recall how they ended up part of Charles Manson's cult and how they committed the heinous crimes.

      Charlie Says jumps back and forth between the present day rehabilitation program at the prison and the flashbacks to the women's dark past. Director Mary Harron and screenwriter Guinevere Turner should be commended for showing the women's experiences with Manson unflinchingly. This is definitely not a movie for those of you with a weak stomach. However, Turner's screenplay fails at getting inside any of the characters' heads to flesh them out as complex human beings. Each of imprisoned women remains unlikable from beginning to end without much in terms of nuance or depth. There's plenty of physical grit, but not nearly enough emotional or psychological grit to be found here, so the plot quickly becomes by-the-numbers with characters who never come to life. Even the notorious Charles Manson is far from an intriguing character.

      Part of what makes Manson such a dull character in Charlie Says has to do with the poorly cast Matt Smith who never quite sinks his teeth into the role convincingly. The underrated Merritt Wever who was the only bright spot of Welcome to Marwen gives a solid performance, but she's not given enough material to truly shine. The actresses who play the murderers give mediocre performances at best. Moreover, Harron and the editor, Andrew Hafitz, include awkward transitions between the past and present scenes, and some scenes last a little too long and, therefore, become tedious. Ultimately, Charlie Says is a mildly engaging, but underwhelming and emotionally hollow crime drama that lacks depth and intrigue.