Aneesa Wardle
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
areatw
Anybody who is easily frustrated by a convoluted and incoherent movie plot should probably give 'Inherent Vice' a miss, otherwise the TV might not escape the two-and-a-half hours damage free. This film makes very little sense from the first scene to the last and the ridiculously long running length makes it even more difficult to endure. There's so much going on in this film that it's near impossible to follow what's happening and connect the dots. Many of the scenes have no explanation and seem totally unrelated to anything that's happened previously. I found the whole thing near impossible to follow and even as I write this review, I'm still at a loss as to what actually happened in 'Inherent Vice'. It's a bizarre, confusing and very frustrating movie.
chriskirk_filmmaker
A private investigator with a love of vice is drawn into a dark and convoluted world of crime and corruption through his love of a woman who used to be his girlfriend. Some sort of modern noir, absolutely brand new in its candid depiction of everything the original noirs only hinted at, but also delighting in the ridiculous tropes of the genre. Leading us in directions we didn't expect and don't necessarily understand, the connections pile up like the ash of a joint and at the end we are left a little dazed and confused.
Screen_Blitz
Paul Thomas Anderson has an endowment for freshly provocative storytelling, a gift he has demonstrated in the past with such endeavors as 'Boogie Nights', 'Magnolia', 'There Will Be Blood', and 'The Master' to name some. It is only little wonder why he was one of the few filmmakers compatible for this irreverent hipster-themed comedy inspired by the novel by Thomas Pynchon. Inherent Vice is a decidedly loopy stoner comedy that straps you on a roller coaster through the eccentric Los Angeles counterculture during the psychedelic 60s and 70s when sex, drugs, and rock n' roll exploded into society like wildfire. At the core of this provocative ride is a darkly humorous murder plot that spirals into a devilishly complex fable with the firepower to either entertain viewers with its a heavy haul of idiosyncratic characters and style, or frustrate them its seemingly nonsensical narrative. Set in 1970, this film centers on Doc Spatello (played by Joaquin Phoenix), an absent-minded, pot- loving Los Angeles investigator who's approached by this ex- girlfriend Shasta (played by Katherine Waterston) about her current boyfriend (played by Eric Roberts) and his former lover being a target for a kidnapping. Upon going on an investigation, and a white supremacist suspect (played by Christopher Allen Nelson) is murdered and Doc is informed by Detective Bigfoot (played by Josh Brolin) of Shasta's disappearance. Pursuing after the criminals responsible, Doc is unexpectedly placed on a collision course against a string of mysterious figures including a suspicious musician (played by Owen Wilson), an undercover police informat Sauncho (played by Benicio Del Toro), a Black guerilla family member (played by Michael Kenneth Williams), and mysterious cult leader; each of whom may or may not have a connection behind the murder.For moviegoers aching for a stylish stoner comedy with darkly funny set pieces and eccentric characters dancing into the mix, this movie certainly delivers. For those pining for a coherent story and a wholesome sense of humor, that is a whole another story. This feverishly offbeat stoner epic is one of those rare cinematic endeavors that is much more easier to engage with when you are not bruising your brain trying to follow the plot. Paul Thomas Anderson, the exhilarating storyteller he is, brings a hefty hand in flooding the story with what appears like a dozen of separate subplots and introducing a number of eccentric supporting characters that feels like a chore to count. This unusual style of writing accounts to an irreverent, but brutally confusing that renders the narrative into a state of ambiguity. Sitting through this tale, it is far from unreasonable for viewers to ask "what does this character have to do with anything?" or "what is the point of this?". The truth of why this story sets out to be confusing however, is that it intends on matching the lead character's state of drug intoxication, and as a result evokes the same amount of confusion as what the lead character is facing. It is a unique style of storytelling that echoes of works of Terry Gilliam's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. The prime figure of the story is Joaquin Phoenix's Doc Spatello, a goofy stoner who finds himself colliding with a wide number of colorful characters, each of which deliver some smart social commentary on the counterculture of drug-fueled 60s and 70s including the Cold War, racial politics, and the eccentric social environment of Los Angeles that defined the so-called era. It is an adventure that accounts to an appealing blend of whimsical humor and shocking conspiracies that lead to some unpredictable (and occasionally unpleasant) scenes. Judging his writing in the ensemble cast piece 'Magnolia', it is a unique style that best fits Paul Thomas Anderson's directing methodology, while fueling those bothered by the perplexing plot with frustration and possibly boredom.Returning on screen to Anderson's directorial world is Joaquin Phoenix who made his first collaboration with Anderson in 'The Master', which was perhaps more superior than this endeavor. This time, he grapples on the role of Doc Spatello, and gives an devilishly charismatic performance. It is a role that allows Phoenix is expand upon his acting chops with idiosyncratic humor and substance, while channeling on Jeff Daniels's Mr. Lebowski with his drug-fueled humor and intoxicating dialogue. Phoenix is the one that manages to stand out above the absurdly bloated cast, partially since he acquires the most screen time. Josh Brolin delivers plenty of fortitude as Detective Bigfoot for his time, and his chemistry with Phoenix works like a charm. Katherine Waterston makes a good use of her screen time with her flashy sex appeal, particularly in one scene showing a lingering shot of her in the nude while seductively chatting with Phoenix. Owen Wilson brings some good humor to his role, but falls short of screen time. The remainder of the cast consists of a large number of actors and actresses (Reese Witherspoon, Michael Kenneth Williams, Maya Rudolph, Benicio Del Toro, and Martin Short to name a few) are left stranded in underdeveloped roles that pit them almost nothing to work with, which only comes to show how terrifyingly difficult it is to develop so many characters squeezed into a 148-minute runtime. Inherent Vice is a bizarrely entertaining stoner epic that is destined to leave devout fans of Paul Thomas Anderson's works engaged, while leave others stranded in sheer frustration for his absurdly confusing plot. This is easily one of those cinematic tales that will polarize audiences, and for good reasons. After all, it is not your average part-comedy, part-mystery flick. It is one that opens light on the unique style of Anderson directorial skills, while showing little interest of indulging in coherency.
mattwilde123
'Inherent Vice' is the next feature film from Paul Thomas Anderson and you can tell. It boasts a great soundtrack, brilliant acting and a very convoluted story as it tells the story of a private detective (Phoenix) as he investigates into the disappearance of a former girlfriend.The screenplay is very confusing. It is hard to follow and purposely so as it introduces many characters and multiple stories but I have heard that this aspect of the screenplay is very true to the original source material. All I could do was admit that the film was too bewildering and to enjoy the many jokes and humorous situations.Joaquin Phoenix is tremendous as the main character Larry "Doc" Sportello. He is complimented with a great supporting cast such as Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro.Overall, 'Inherent Vice' is not a typical popcorn flick and I was very confused by the overwhelming plot but it is fun and very well made and so I have given it a final rating of 3.5 stars.
