Review of Inherent Vice (2014) by Walter M — 23 Jan 2015

In "Inherent Vice," Doc Sportello(Joaquin Phoenix), an occasional private detective, currently and usually in a drug addled haze, gets a visitation from his ex-girlfriend Shasta(Katherine Waterston). She is there to warn him about a nefarious plot aimed at a real estate developer. After checking in with his current girlfriend and ADA, Penny(Reese Witherspoon), Doc follows the leads to a massage parlor where he is knocked senseless. Waking up next to a dead body, he finds he has some explaining to do to Lieutenant Bigfoot(Josh Brolin) of the LAPD.

I would never argue with somebody who said that Paul Thomas Anderson is currently the best of American filmmakers. But at the same time, he has a tendency to over stuff his movies with both details and actors. Some times, it really works in creating a specific milieu(Boogie Nights), while other times it can be a rather bruising affair(Magnolia). Sadly, his latest, "Inherent Vice," lies in the later category, as Anderson replicates too closely the feeling of being stoned, just as the whole selective reality thing would probably work much better on the page. That's with a story and accompanying mystery that are so shaggy they come with fleas. All of which is set at a time when Nixon and Reagan were conspiring to ruin everybody's high and the fascist LAPD was trying to rewrite reality through television.