Review of Inherent Vice (2014) by Nicholasbert — 15 Jan 2015

It's really sad that PT Anderson doesn't still feel comfortable with the director's tricks he used in his early films (the long opening sequence of Boogie Nights speaks for itself) or the visual imagery of Magnolia - but Inherent Vice is better than most this year: it's demanding, masterfully acted (Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin are hilarious caricatures) and, with that 70s vibe flooding around, well shot. Sure, the number of characters and subplots make it difficult and really require the viewer to pay attention - just like Pynchon would have wanted.

Keep in mind it's a spoof: it deliberately mocks just about anything it represents, from detective stories to hippie culture, from drug cartels to the clichés of real estate moguls and exploitative cops. The feel is serious - just when you analyse it a bit deeper, you realise it's all a joke. Nobody really marvels at the strangeness that is obviously there, suggesting that's all perfectly normal to them, in turn suggesting we're in an only slightly different alternate reality.

In the end this film is confirmation: that PTA is a director like they used to make them, that Joaquin Phoenix is a fantastic actor (despite the sometimes annoying mumbling), that you can't really make a normal film out of a Pynchon book. Still, gripping to watch, and definitely worth the 2-hour + runtime.