Review of Inherent Vice (2014) by Harry W — 29 Mar 2015

Based on the entertaining novel by Thomas Pynchon and directed by legendary filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice sounded like a perfect pairing of author and director alike.

One common criticism of Inherent Vice is that the premise is very convoluted. Considering just how many characters there are, it's understandable. I actually stopped reading Inherent Vice the first time so that I could start it again and try to get a sense of the story, so the confusing premise is not accidental. With the film, it maintains that exact same kind of confusion, for better and for worse. In that regard, Inherent Vice certainly captures the spirit of the source material. For me, there was certainly a lot to take in with Inherent Vice. I found many problems with it, but as a whole I enjoyed the general spirit of the film.

Inherent Vice is a film with a really slow start. It takes a while to get things going, and even when it does things progress slowly. And due to the length of the film, it is also a bit of a stretch. The extensive length and slow running time should logically give the viewer more than enough time to comprehend everything in the story, but frankly there is just no preparing for how much narrative there is in Inherent Vice. There are so many characters who are key to the story all at different points over the extensive narrative, and they just pile up with the plot dynamics which are bound to leave even the most literary of viewers puzzled by it all. Attempting to take it all in can easily wear you down, and this isn't helped by the fact that there are some minor communication issues in the film. While the source novel was confusing, it was mapped out by Thomas Pynchon so that readers could take it all in with their own time. Even then it was confusing, but the film makes a different mistake. A lot of the time, the actors have to whisper for dramatic effect while at the same time they have to speak fast to convey to audiences that the dialogue is essentially instinctive to the characters. As a result, viewers have to listen closely to a lot of fast words. This sound issue is made even more complicated by the fact that the music in the film has a tendency to play at the same time as the dialogue without being as subtle as it should, interfering with what audiences may be able to hear. The problem with Inherent Vice is that there is a failure to communicate on a technical level, as well as the fact that the dialogue is composed of 1960's slang which is not always easy to embrace. The plot of Inherent Vice is confusing, and the way that the language is expressed does not help it's cause, particularly in the extensive scenes where these elements all combine and just drag on for too long.

But even with all that, Inherent Vice remains an enjoyable film. The narrative is much more loose than Paul Thomas Anderson's previous works and his directorial work is not as tenacious so that his adaptation honour Thomas Pynchon, but that proves successful in the end because of how the film explains the cultural context of the film clearly and honours the material with effectively dedicated language, maintaining the characters and the hilarious sense of humour maintained by the book. Inherent Vice may be a complicated film, but it is a thoroughly funny one with a lot of great characters and we have the screenplay to thank for that, meaning that Paul Thomas Anderson's writing abilities make up for some of the directorial problems. Either way, he ensures that Inherent Vice clearly comes across as the innovatively stylish neo-noir that it was meant to be. There are not enough neo-noir films available in the world today, so it is good to see Paul Thomas Anderson keeping the genre alive with such passionate spirit.

Inherent Vice is a very stylish film. Even though the music may interfere with the language at times, the soundtrack to the film is really groovy and it works to establish the nostalgic nature of the film nicely. The production design, scenery and costumes all add to this as well while giving the film an intriguing sense of colour. Through manipulation of filters, Inherent Vice manages to be a colourful film which also captures the dark nature of the neo-noir genre that it exists within, and so the cinematography is nice. I'll admit that I was thrown off by some of the medium shots which ran for so long at times because of the lack of movement or editing in them, but either way they effectively capture the visual pleasure of Inherent Vice.

And the cast work with the script flawlessly.

There is no better casting decision for the role of Larry "Doc" Sportellon than Joaquin Phoenix. Proving once again that he brings out his best when working with Paul Thomas Anderson after his groundbreaking performance in The Master, Joaquin Phoenix combines his Academy Award nominated dramatic talents with an unprecedented comic flair. Inherent Vice features the single funniest performance of his career simply because of how well he captures the stoned nature of Doc Sportello without resorting to making the role into an archetype. He invents the character, balancing a legitimate comic spirit with an appropriate touch of drama and embodying the role internally and externally. He walks like Doc Sportello should, talks like he should and shoots his glare in every direction a man in his headspace would. Joaquin Phoenix brings Thomas Pynchon's protagonist to the screen incredibly well, proving once again that he is really one of the best working male actors in Hollywood today who is not afraid to go into quirky material or test the extents of his comic talents. Joaquin Phoenix carries Inherent Vice on his shoulders incredibly well by giving his best and even managing to bring out the best in every actor he is able to interact with.

Josh Brolin's performance in Inherent Vice is brilliant, effectively mirroring the quality of Joaquin Phoenix's performance through different ways and through a shorter period of screen time. After reading that Josh Brolin had been cast in the role of Christian "Bigfoot" Bjornsen I was excited as I thought it was a perfect casting. After actually seeing it, I could not have been more right. Josh Brolin exceeded my expectations in Inherent Vice because he captures the sense of egotistical strength of the character which he uses to hold himself higher than Doc Sportello, but at the same time he effectively conveys the insecurities and personal battle of the character. In that sense, Josh Brolin manages to grasp both the comic nature of the character and an extensive dramatic side to him, putting an unexpected level of depth into the character. Josh Brolin manages to work so effectively alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Inherent Vice that they make a perfect duo who are just unable to escape their characters because they are so firmly planted in the roles. Josh Brolin's performance in Inherent Vice is his best in years and one of the funniest of his career without it being at the expense of the drama.

Benecio Del Toro stands out for me in Inherent Vice. Keeping in mind that his role is very small and so is his screen time, he just seems to be a perfect fit. The instant he walks on screen, it takes him no time to establish his place in the time of the film because he speaks the language flawlessly with such an energetic charm, and he adds effective facial expressions to it to really project the sense of life in his character. Benecio Del Toro interacts with the characters and the universe of Inherent Vice surprisingly well in such a miniscule amount of screen time, and it is really entertaining to see.

Katherine Waterson's role is rather small, but she has some really strong moments including one where she delivers a powerful monologue while naked and bent over Joaquin Phoenix. Her performance is courageous. The small appearances of Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson are good, and Martin Short's small appearance is just hilarious.

So Inherent Vice may have communication issues, but it captures the convoluted yet groovy spirit of its source material with a strong screenplay and an impeccable cast.