Review of Inherent Vice (2014) by Christopher P — 02 Feb 2015
What if Philip Marlowe was a hippie stoner in post-Manson '70's LA? This is the central conceit of this rich, languid film. It has a hazy, happy to take its time pace embodied in Joaquin Phoenix's immersive performance, one of many sharply drawn characters in a plot that's denser than the pot smoke his character smokes in every scene; you almost struggle to make it out, even as each person he meets lingers long after the story does.
The film hs a great sense of time and place-it feels like the people and the places have been drawn straight from the era- and there are several very funny jokes, but the the stoner pace can't sustain its 2.
5 hour runtime; the same thing that makes it one of a kind also doesn't allow it to generate any suspense or tension. One ends up admiring it more than enjoying it.
This review of Inherent Vice (2014) was written by Christopher P on 02 Feb 2015.
Inherent Vice has generally received positive reviews.
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