Hayden Pittman, WFAA Special Contributor 11:40 a.m. CST January 9, 2015
"Inherent Vice" 2015(Photo: IMDB/YouTube)
In both good and bad ways, Paul Thomas Anderson's newest film 'Inherent Vice' is the kind of chaotic and incoherent presentation that constantly causes the audience to wonder, "What the heck is going on?" and "Am I dreaming?"
It is slow-paced disorganized mayhem and a series of odd hallucination-type conversations and encounters, and through all of the disorder, there exists crude, slapstick humor, over the top drama, and a handful of eccentric characters that are very entertaining to watch at times. Anderson sums it up best when he describes this film "like a Cheech & Chong movie" and "deeply written and beautifully profound stuff mixed in with just the best fart jokes that you can imagine."
Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon, the film 'Inherent Vice' is a crime-related comedy-drama involving a stoner private investigator named Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), who looks into the supposed disappearance of his ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend. When Doc is visited by his ex and learns of a potential plot to kidnap and throw her billionaire boyfriend in a mental hospital, he is sent on a complicated journey/investigation that gets him caught up in a world full of surfers, hustlers, dopers, rockers, good and bad policemen, sketchy and dangerous individuals, etc. Set in the 60s, psychedelics, paranoia, corruption, drugs, s*x, and terms like "groovy," "trip," and "far out" are all the rage.
With films like 'The Master,' 'There Will Be Blood,' 'Boogie Nights,' etc., director Paul Thomas Anderson's movies have featured various levels of star power and recognizable faces. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Eric Roberts, Jena Malone, Reese Witherspoon, Maya Rudolph, Michael Kenneth Williams, Martin Short and more, 'Inherent Vice' is no different and not short on quality experienced stars or fresh faced actors. Phoenix fits the main role well as a laid back druggie who is actually pretty sharp as a PI. Brolin is an over the top and amusing detective whose allegiance is all over the map, and whether over or under utilized at different times, the rest of the actors mentioned above constantly pop up in enjoyable supporting roles or cameo appearances.
When talking about this film, Anderson said that he tried to cram as many jokes onto the screen as the author of the book squeezed onto the page. Anderson also comments that the visual gags and gimmicks were inspired by "Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker," an American comedy filmmaking trio who specialized in slapstick humor during the 80s and 90s and created films like 'Airplane' and 'The n***d Gun.' Other influences of 'Inherent Vice' clearly include "Cheech & Chong," who are known for their stand-up routines that are based on the hippie and free love era and drug and counterculture movements. Anderson also said he took ideas from an underground comic strip called "Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers" and an assortment of other films and material.
Specifically in this film, the humor involves slapstick, sexual innuendos and references, drug comedy and vulgar language. A good deal of the scenes involve a character on drugs or being around someone on drugs, and the comedy here stems from the long-winded, deep conversations or what someone says and does while under the influence. It is amusing to see how certain sober characters react to those who appear to be on drugs. Similarly, there is an abundance of s*x-driven humor and content, either pertaining to direct dirty remarks or comments and expressions that appear to be sexual innuendos. Many of the scenes are created to feel like drug hallucinations or trips themselves as the characters ramble on about certain issues or ideas (stoner talk).
In typical Paul Thomas Anderson fashion, the style of the film is very different and somewhat unconventional or nontraditional compared to other features. The plot is extremely far out, almost confusing in a way due to the lack of cohesiveness, abundance of information and a generally all around incoherent story. The movie is character-driven, centering on the unique characters and the distinct style of dialogue, and the story being told is secondary and of lesser importance. The tone is very laid back, with a slow motion like pace throughout. There is so much time for so little to say each scene takes forever to say or do the simplest thing.
Overall, this is the kind of film that takes the humor or drama to the edge or as far as it should be able to go and then attempts to push it even further in a mildly puzzling way. Sometimes this works and sometimes this is ineffective. 'Inherent Vice' isn't for every audience, but it's a nice variation from the typical film viewers see every other weekend. It drags on a bit long and could've perhaps been shortened to get the same point across, but that's Paul Thomas Anderson for you.
This film released in theaters on Jan. 9, 2015.
3 out of 5 stars.
'Inherent Vice' is rated R for drug use throughout, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and some violence. Running time is 2 hours and 28 minutes.
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Hayden Pittman is a special contributor to WFAA.com and a freelance film critic and entertainment blogger out of Dallas. More of his content can be found onYouPlusDallas.com and his author archive here. For more of his reviews on WFAA,click here. He is a film, TV, and sports enthusiast, and when not writing reviews or covering an event, he works in film production. As an average, passionate film lover who rarely misses a film, his reviews are straightforward and his way with words will let you know in a simple way what he thinks. Don't like what he has to say? Let him know at hpittman87@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @HPMoviePitt.
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