Inherent Vice (MA15+)
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston
BASED on Thomas Pynchon’s famous novel, Inherent Vice is an intensely confounding work.
Perpetually stoned private investigator “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is assigned by his ex-girlfriend to investigate a plot against her partner. This case plunges Doc into a dizzying web of cults, mental hospitals and drug syndicates.
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the great modern film artists, but he’s never been one for brevity.
Anderson has always had a gift for engaging character dynamics and narrative pay-off, and less for pacing or structure.
This approach has worked exceptionally well in the past, as There Will Be Blood, The Master and Boogie Nights are all enthralling character pieces, but Inherent Vice has an ’everything including the kitchen sink’ approach to drama.
The film’s disjointed feel is initially fitting, as it reflects the drug-fuelled haze Doc views the world through. Phoenix is an affable slacker as Doc, the tone is one of bizarre, subversive craziness (again, appropriate for the ’70s setting) and the diverse ensemble cast is highly entertaining.
But Inherent Vice feels at least an hour too long, and is crammed full of simplistic characters and loosely-connected plot threads.
The sluggish, meandering plot wears you down and dilutes the appeal of the acting and weirdness, and Inherent Vice has little of the thematic richness that marked Anderson’s earlier work.
Fun while it lasts, Inherent Vice ultimately overstays its welcome.
– SETH HYNES
