Review: Inherent Vice

Paul Thomas Anderson adapted the novel 'Inherent Vice' by Thomas Pynchon, which I read.  I read the book over the summer in preparation for this movie.  Once I found out Paul Thomas Anderson was adapting this novel, I immediately bought and read it.  Due to the fact that I read this book, I can make comparisons between this book that I read and the movie that was written based on the novel 'Inherent Vice' (which I read).  While I was reading this novel I thought about how the characters would be portrayed in the movie, and then when I was watching the movie I thought back to when I read 'Inherent Vice' and thought, "I remember these characters from when I was reading this book."  I read this book.  I read.

In All Seriousness:

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Katherine Waterston, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Reese Witherspoon, Martin Short, Joanna Newsom, Jena Malone, Eric Roberts, Sasha Pieterse, Peter McRobbie

As I said repeatedly before the break, I did read the novel 'Inherent Vice' once I found out PTA would be adapting it for his seventh feature film.  I don't want to make this review about the book though, so all I will say about it is that I loved it, the movie cast the actors very similarly to how I imagined the characters while reading it, and the movie stayed very faithful to it.  As much as I love Paul Thomas Anderson's original screenplays, it was nice to see him tackle a complete adaptation for once (he loosely adapted his 2007 film There Will Be Blood from Upton Sinclair's book 'Oil!', for which he received an Academy Award nomination).

Inherent Vice centers around Larry 'Doc' Sportello, who is played hilariously by Joaquin Phoenix.  The stoner investigator that Phoenix plays here is a drastic change from his animalistic role in Anderson's last film The Master.  During last year's Golden Globe Awards, Leonardo DiCaprio joked after winning Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical, that he was surprised to win in that category.  He also thanked his fellow "comedians", which included Joaquin Phoenix for his performance in the wonderful film Her.  Although DiCaprio sarcastically called Phoenix a comedian last year, this year it wouldn't seem so odd as he does some of the best comedic work of 2014 here.

Except for maybe There Will Be Blood, all of Paul Thomas Anderson's films can be really funny at times.  Whether it's John C. Reilly making margaritas in Boogie Nights, or Joaquin Phoenix farting in The Master, or just all of Punch-Drunk Love, PTA is constantly slipping comedic moments into his films.  Vice's main source of comedy comes from the brilliantly acted dynamic between Phoenix's Doc Sportello and Josh Brolin's tough guy cop, Bigfoot Bjornsen.  The two share a handful of scenes together, and every single time it is magic.  Josh Brolin is someone I would love to see PTA add to his arsenal of frequent collaborators, like he has done now with Joaquin Phoenix.  Other actors in Vice, whom I would love to see work with Anderson again are: Martin Short, who steals the two scenes he is in as a coked-up, womanizing dentist; Benicio Del Toro, who is great in his few scenes; and Katherine Waterston, who provides the bulk of the great dramatic work in the film.

Anderson and cinematographer Robert Elswit (working with Anderson for the 6th time on this film) collaborate successfully again here, with the constant moving shots, the lingering shots, and the grainy 1970's-look that made the film look authentic to the time period being portrayed.  One reason why so many actors have been nominated and/or won awards for acting in PTA's films is because he gives his actors the opportunity to do great work.  He'll stage scenes where two actors will perform for minutes and he won't cut at all, forcing these talented actors to give their very best performance each time.  It shows the trust he has in them, and it works.

Inherent Vice is the film I've been waiting for all year.  It gave me everything I wanted in a PTA film, hilarious awkwardness, insane characters, witty dialogue, and a constantly moving camera.  It has to be hard for Paul Thomas Anderson to continuously live up to the hype that an acclaimed filmmaker like himself has set for them, but for me at least, he meets or exceeds these expectations with every film he has made since I discovered his work.

Rating: 9.5/10

-Ryan Moncrief