Inherent Vice: Movie Review

Paul Thomas Anderson is undoubtedly a brilliant filmmaker. Although I loved “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia”, just couldn’t get into “Punch-Drunk Love” or “The Master”. Even with the latter films, I did appreciate many of Anderson’s choices regarding them. His latest film “Inherent Vice” is no different. I loved the world Anderson created but loathed almost every living thing residing in that world. Not to mention that much of what was going on made no sense to me. Maybe I just didn’t get it. Maybe “Inherent Vice” was over my head, and that could very well be the case. Because of that, I was struggling with the story.

Set in Los Angeles during the tail-end of the 1960’s, “Inherent Vice” is centered on stoner Private Investigator Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) who happens to run his business out of an actual doctor’s office. When former flame Shasta Fay Hepworth (Katherine Waterston) drops by Doc’s house and asks him for his help, it doesn’t take much for the high-as-all-hell P.I. to agree. It isn’t long before Shasta actually goes missing and Doc is on the case.

“Inherent Vice” has one hell of a supporting cast that make up all the unusual characters that Doc crosses paths with throughout this nearly 150 minute mind-trip of a movie. We have Josh Brolin as Lt. Detective “Bigfoot” Bjornsen, who moonlights as an actor, Eric Roberts as a real estate tycoon, Benicio Del Toro as Doc’s legal counsel and friend, Owen Wilson as an informant and Jena Malone as his wife, Reese Witherspoon as the Deputy D.A. and former girlfriend of Doc’s, and I can’t forget Martin Short as a drug dealing dentist who also likes under-aged girls.

I had high hopes for “Inherent Vice” but unfortunately I just didn’t understand most of it and although I will agree with many that it is quite original, I can’t actually recommend it to anyone that isn’t high already to actually watch it.

By: Marc Ferman