'Inherent Vice' Is a Trip, and You Should Take It
Though Inherent Vice, the latest from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, has proven to be polarizing among viewers, it is undeniably ambitious. Inherent Vice is an aesthetically pleasing collage of colorful characters and interwoven plots. If you can dig it, this film is a fun, wild ride, and you'll even find some valuable social commentary.
Adapted from a novel by Thomas Pynchon, this movie explores 1970 LA, full of hippies, drug cartels, and corrupt police officers, along with a shady dentist office.
Joaquin Phoenix plays stoner P.I. Larry "Doc" Sportello, who sets out to investigate some trouble surrounding his ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend, and gets swept up in a whirlwind of other issues in the process, not much unlike The Dude in The Big Lebowski. Anderson guides the viewer through the puzzling plot of Pynchon's novel, and quite skillfully too. Fans of Anderson's other work will find this film to be quite a different viewing experience from There Will Be Blood and most of Anderson's other films. However, those familiar and unfamiliar with P.T. Anderson can find something to love about this work; it's lighter and funny, but also weaves in elements of darkness and social critique.
Joaquin Phoenix gives an excellent performance as Doc, as does Josh Brolin, who plays his foil, Christian "Bigfoot" Bjornsen, a questionable LAPD officer. Through these characters, Anderson explores the failures of the hippie movement, as well as police brutality and corruption. In many dream-like sequences, we encounter a plethora of memorably unique characters (performances from Katherine Waterston, Owen Wilson, Benicio del Toro, Reese Witherspoon, Maya Rudolph, and Martin Short, to name a few) which give us new insight into a larger plot scheme, as well as troubling and humorous elements of American culture. Anderson guides us through this maze of scenes with a skill that is impressive, considering the meandering nature of Pynchon's novel.
Though one could argue the film is wanting in more interesting, complex female characters, it is, overall, a pleasurable experience. This movie has a mixture of crass and clever jokes to keep viewers entertained, and valuable social commentary that audiences should hear. Cinephiles can appreciate the film's overall execution and music lovers can delight in the soundtrack, which contains 60's and 70's classics, as well as original compositions from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Though the plot can be a little bewildering at times, the craft with which is developed make the movie worth a watch... or several. Inherent Vice is an experience not to be missed.
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