Paul Thomas Anderson’s Zany Inherent Vice is a Densely Constructed Masterpiece

“Inherent Vice,” is the seventh feature from Paul Thomas Anderson and the first ever film adaption of a Thomas Pynchon novel. When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a looney bin…well, easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic `60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused – except this one usually leads to trouble. With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists… Part surf noir, part psychedelic romp – all Thomas Pynchon. (C) Warner Bro

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice is 2014’s most polarizing release demanding two viewings: one to process it and the other to experience it. I would claim it divides audiences and critics even more than Under The Skin or Interstellar. I can confidently tell you if you like the Coen Brother’s The Big Lebowski, you will probably enjoy Inherent Vice. If not, this movie will grow on you. They are relatively similar. As the Oscars become distracted with prestige awards bait like The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything, a movie like Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice will have a lasting legacy and insight debate well beyond 2014. When I think of 1998 or 1999 in regards to movies, I think of Big Lebowski and Fight Club and not Shakespeare in Love and The Cider House Rules (even though the latter group was showered with Academy Award nominations).

The adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel is a cosmic blast of a zany romp with kooky characters in a preposterous situation involving big drugs, mental institutions, sketchy real estate moguls, chocolate bananas, and the infamous Golden Fang. The ridiculous plot is fun to piece together and so convoluted, that is why viewers should hold judgment of it until watching it a second time. I wouldn’t have liked the movie without another viewing. It is impressive that Paul Thomas Anderson was able to dig deep and compose a dense, multi-faceted, adapted screenplay. People have compared him to a West Coast Martin Scorsese. I concur. He has a classic yet distinct style capturing cultural transitions where fate is unknown. Considering his dark and serious tone in his movies, this is Mr. Anderson letting loose and having fun.

Inherent Vice boasts a high caliber, all-star cast of accomplished and talented actors. Who caught me off guard the most was the actress unknown to me: Katherine Waterston as Shasta. Like her character haunting the protagonist, she was luminous and lingered in my mind through out the movie. I wanted to know what she was up to when she wasn’t on screen. The eccentric Joaquin Phoenix as the detective on the trail was a bumbling, yet smart slacker in his own mind. Josh Brolin was pitch perfect as the straight-laced police officer onto him. He embodied reactionary authority while hiding his insecurities delivering intended comical results. The tension between the Phoenix and Brolin perfectly reflects the mood of this era, the culture clash of the dying hippie movement surviving in Reagan’s California. Consider Inherent Vice to be the absurd, fun-loving 1970’s crime caper American Hustle wanted to be.

I rate Inherent Vice a 9 out of 10!