Review of Inherent Vice (2014) by Gene B — 31 Jan 2015
Major plus: great actors infusing quirky characters as only they can. Rich and wondrous strange.
Major minus: a VERY poor Sense of Place. It could have taken place in Toronto. The Topanga Canyon house could have been in any mini-mansion-filled nabe anywhere in the US. Certainly there was no flavor of 1970s Topanga.
IH felt disembodied. The few shots meant to ground the movie in LA were exceptional only for themselves, almost as art hanging on a wall and not as part of a narrative (ie, the police station, the beach between the houses, etc.).
I'm a Pynchon fan, and the books, like this one, are fun ("Gravity's Rainbow" being much more, in fact one of the greats of the 20th Century). But, as with most of his later work, I have to ask, in regards to plot: but, why? Why would all this megillah be of any import to anyone? Admittedly, the twists and turns of the "Golden Fang" theme are very funny, but the overall ostensible plot is just not as loonily inspired as, say, "The Crying of Lot 49." It's just kind of - there.
This review of Inherent Vice (2014) was written by Gene B on 31 Jan 2015.
Inherent Vice has generally received positive reviews.
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