Review of Inherent Vice (2014) by Mike_M — 19 Jan 2015

I've seen this movie twice, both because I'm a PT Anderson fan, and because on first viewing, I came out scratching my head, and I thought that I might be missing its merits.

As opposed to other films of its ilk that have an intricate, even deliberately convoluted plot (The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye, The Big Lebowski, and maybe Kiss Me Deadly or other noir), Inherent Vice isn't wall-to-wall engaging scenes. A few of the scenes are, but far too many aren't sufficiently engaging. Half the scenes in this movie, right from the start, are highly skilled (the lighting, the acting, the composition), and otherwise wholly shruggable.

There's plenty of brains and heart as the movie talks about squares vs.

Subversives, or the abandoned values of the 60's being more human than the greed to follow, but if you've considered all this before, it might not add anything for you.

It's skillfully made, smart, and challenging.

But I'm still not sure I see what the artistic insights or merits are.