Well... it looks like I am going to have to be that guy. I'm going to be the crazy guy with long beard wearing a cardboard sign saying everything from "Doom is coming" to "It's all been for nothing", and I'll be wondering why nobody else is as crazy as me. Did I say looks? I meant looked, because apparently more people are on my side than I had initially thought as I was watching this film. Paul Thomas Anderson's newest film has polarized a lot of people, and after seeing it for myself, it is not that difficult to understand why.
In the year 1970, pothead private detective Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is minding his own business when his old girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston) returns to ask for his help in solving the mystery of what is going on with her billionare boyfriend, his wife, and her boyfriend. Kidnapping is involved in some way, and during this journey he comes across such eccentric characters as Detective Christian "Bigfoot" Bjornsen (Josh Brolin), the husband of a local former drug addict Coy Harlingen (Owen Wilson), and Doc's lawyer Sauncho Smilax (Benicio del Toro).
If you're wondering why I am not offering a more in-depth explanation of what the plot of this movie is, it's because it has only been a couple of hours since I have seen it, and I still can not tell you what it is really about. I've only explained as much as I have because I had to look it up online to make sure. Now, if the movie had actually moved at any form of a pace, I would be perfectly able to forgive it and just go along for the ride. I can accept a movie being confusing or convoluted. What I cannot accept is a movie being confusing or convoluted, and also boring. I kept nodding off throughout this entire film, and the only reason I didn't flat out fall asleep is because my dad was sitting next to me and kept shaking me awake. When I am on the verge of falling asleep during a nude scene, you know your movie has problems.
Paul Thomas Anderson is a filmmaker whose work I always appreciated, but occasionally had trouble grasping the concepts he was going for. In a film like "Boogie Nights", I managed to avoid this problem. But sometimes there is a film like "The Master", which while boasting great performances and moments, still left me somewhat cold and confused. But now it is suddenly much easier to understand when compared to this sloppy, meandering mess. Some critics may say that he is attempting to give the audience the feeling of actually being high, and I actually agree with that assessment, because you are seeing a number of insane things and colors and whatnot, and you have absolutely no idea what is going on.
That doesn't mean there aren't some things to enjoy about this film. It has a very colorful and vibrant look to it, and I quite enjoyed the music. And the cast does the best they can with weak characters. Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro actually managed to get some chuckles out of me every once in a while, and I will watch Joaquin Phoenix in absolutely anything. But ultimately I can't help but admit that I was very much underwhelmed by this film. And that's too bad because I wanted to love this, especially after watching the trailer. But ultimately, I simply cannot recommend this.
I give Inherent Vice 2 out of 5 joints
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