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An adaption of the book by Thomas Pynchon. Inherent Vice is yet another win for director Paul Thomas Anderson, it's packed to the brim with wackiness. A mix of the neo-noir, crime, drama and comedy genres, the events that occur are hard to make of but thinking should come afterwards, enjoy it for what it is (at that very moment). The authentic 70s look and vibe is just that, it doesn't feel imitated like many of today's films, PTA aimed to be nostalgic and Inherent Vice definitely reminded of funky flicks from a bygone era (The Long Goodbye for one).
One of the genres I mentioned was a comedy and that may seem out of place but the film is (unintentionally?) a hilarity ride. Doc Sportello is our mysterious protagonist and his mind is our cinema screen, full of hallucinations and other trippy images make for an interesting and effective character study. Inherent Vice leans over to being more character-driven than plot-driven. The supporting characters were out of their depth compared to the main, all are equally iniquitous so they come off as "weird for the sake of weird". PTA's drug world is crafted with a good sense of creativity and stepping without caution, you may find yourself immersed into it more than you'd want.
PTA's script is an account on deceit with cunning comicality and shaky thrills. It's never boring and constantly off-the-wall fun, the cinematography is stylish and it's great to see PTA's way in execution (which doesn't borrow too much from other famed directors like his previous films).
Joaquin Phoenix is quite sensational as the protagonist and adds another great performance to a fast growing list. Phoenix is faithful to his character's frequently drugged out state and delivers. Brolin had the role of a fun gimmicky character. Owen Wilson was as good as he'd ever get, Reese Witherspoon was naturally classy and Katherine Waterston added coherence to a fuzzy story with her straight-forward act. Second best by a wide margin.
All in all, Inherent Vice is a fun, wacky nostalgia ride. Fanatics of yesteryear cinema will appreciate it as a cool throwback with a fine underlay of humor.
Review #18 - Inherent Vice:
(Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)
(Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)
An adaption of the book by Thomas Pynchon. Inherent Vice is yet another win for director Paul Thomas Anderson, it's packed to the brim with wackiness. A mix of the neo-noir, crime, drama and comedy genres, the events that occur are hard to make of but thinking should come afterwards, enjoy it for what it is (at that very moment). The authentic 70s look and vibe is just that, it doesn't feel imitated like many of today's films, PTA aimed to be nostalgic and Inherent Vice definitely reminded of funky flicks from a bygone era (The Long Goodbye for one).
One of the genres I mentioned was a comedy and that may seem out of place but the film is (unintentionally?) a hilarity ride. Doc Sportello is our mysterious protagonist and his mind is our cinema screen, full of hallucinations and other trippy images make for an interesting and effective character study. Inherent Vice leans over to being more character-driven than plot-driven. The supporting characters were out of their depth compared to the main, all are equally iniquitous so they come off as "weird for the sake of weird". PTA's drug world is crafted with a good sense of creativity and stepping without caution, you may find yourself immersed into it more than you'd want.
PTA's script is an account on deceit with cunning comicality and shaky thrills. It's never boring and constantly off-the-wall fun, the cinematography is stylish and it's great to see PTA's way in execution (which doesn't borrow too much from other famed directors like his previous films).
Joaquin Phoenix is quite sensational as the protagonist and adds another great performance to a fast growing list. Phoenix is faithful to his character's frequently drugged out state and delivers. Brolin had the role of a fun gimmicky character. Owen Wilson was as good as he'd ever get, Reese Witherspoon was naturally classy and Katherine Waterston added coherence to a fuzzy story with her straight-forward act. Second best by a wide margin.
All in all, Inherent Vice is a fun, wacky nostalgia ride. Fanatics of yesteryear cinema will appreciate it as a cool throwback with a fine underlay of humor.