After such masterpieces like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood, it's hard not to expect A LOT from every film coming from the mind of Paul Thomas Anderson. So obviously the standards were pretty damn high going into his newest film Inherent Vice, an adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name about a stoner private investigator who is investigating the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, as well as a slew of other mysteries and disappearances that coincide with one another amid a cavalcade of characters whose names, careers, and orientations get a little bit tough to keep up with. And by a little bit, I mean there is so damn much going on in this film that keeping up can be a bitch and if you fall behind, well, best of luck to you.
I won't say that Inherent Vice is a bad film. I don't know if I could ever say that a film of PTA's was a truly bad film. The dude knows how to direct actors and he is a bonified expert when it comes to the art of visual storytelling. What I got out of Inherent Vice, however, was that it was likely a book Anderson has read countless times and absolutely loves, and he was surely chomping at the bit to do an adaptation. The problem is, you're working with some seriously convoluted subject matter here and it might be possible that Anderson forgot how well he knew the book compared to the millions that would be seeing his film who were in no way familiar with it, myself included. This film feels like it was made for the director before anyone else.
That being said, this might be the best possible adaptation for this kind of novel at all. There is a whole lot going on in this flick and the question in the back of my mind was always, "Where is any of this heading?" By the end of the film this question was underwhelmingly not answered for me at least. But the one saving grace of Inherent Vice is most definitely the performances, which is where PTA often shines as a director anyways. Joaquin Phoenix is great as always, even though this character can't even compare to the complex troubled souls he played in The Master or Her. Josh Brolin is in peak form as far as entertainment value goes, delivering some of the most absurdly funny moments and lines of the film. We've all seen his "Moto panakeku (spelling?)" moment from the trailer, and it does get better than that.
Then you've got a whole bunch of great supporting players like Owen Wilson, Benicio del Toro, and Martin Short, as well as a great lineup of strong female performances from Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, and Jena Malone. Actors seem to be at the top of their game when working with Anderson and this fact is what keeps the confusing and convoluted Inherent Vice at least somewhat entertaining.
I'm certainly going to give this film a second chance, and I'll do my best to pay better attention the second time around. Maybe after wading through the onslaught of characters and events and putting things in their right place I'll be able to make some sense of the film and realize its hidden brilliance. For now, though, Inherent Vice certainly does not live up to the caliber of quality I've come to expect from one of my all time favorite directors.
I won't say that Inherent Vice is a bad film. I don't know if I could ever say that a film of PTA's was a truly bad film. The dude knows how to direct actors and he is a bonified expert when it comes to the art of visual storytelling. What I got out of Inherent Vice, however, was that it was likely a book Anderson has read countless times and absolutely loves, and he was surely chomping at the bit to do an adaptation. The problem is, you're working with some seriously convoluted subject matter here and it might be possible that Anderson forgot how well he knew the book compared to the millions that would be seeing his film who were in no way familiar with it, myself included. This film feels like it was made for the director before anyone else.
That being said, this might be the best possible adaptation for this kind of novel at all. There is a whole lot going on in this flick and the question in the back of my mind was always, "Where is any of this heading?" By the end of the film this question was underwhelmingly not answered for me at least. But the one saving grace of Inherent Vice is most definitely the performances, which is where PTA often shines as a director anyways. Joaquin Phoenix is great as always, even though this character can't even compare to the complex troubled souls he played in The Master or Her. Josh Brolin is in peak form as far as entertainment value goes, delivering some of the most absurdly funny moments and lines of the film. We've all seen his "Moto panakeku (spelling?)" moment from the trailer, and it does get better than that.
Then you've got a whole bunch of great supporting players like Owen Wilson, Benicio del Toro, and Martin Short, as well as a great lineup of strong female performances from Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, and Jena Malone. Actors seem to be at the top of their game when working with Anderson and this fact is what keeps the confusing and convoluted Inherent Vice at least somewhat entertaining.
I'm certainly going to give this film a second chance, and I'll do my best to pay better attention the second time around. Maybe after wading through the onslaught of characters and events and putting things in their right place I'll be able to make some sense of the film and realize its hidden brilliance. For now, though, Inherent Vice certainly does not live up to the caliber of quality I've come to expect from one of my all time favorite directors.