Inherent Vice-2014

Director Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Joaquin Phoenix

Scott’s Review #255

Reviewed July 7, 2015

Grade: A-

Inherent Vice (2014) is a bizarre, detective-film-noir-type experience set in Los Angeles in 1970.

Directed by the superb Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, 1997; Magnolia, 1999), the film is a marvel of weirdness and incoherence.

Fans of a straightforward plot will not be thrilled, but Anderson fans won’t be disappointed. It has a complex plot, but the payoff is grand, and it’s a thinking-man’s film.

The protagonist is Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), a stoner private detective whom his mysterious ex-girlfriend, Shasta, contacts. She is worried about attempts by her boyfriend’s ex-wife and new lover to kidnap him and have him committed.

Mickey, Shasta’s boyfriend, is a wealthy real-estate developer.

Doc is also hired by two other people- one a former heroin addict looking for her missing husband, and the other a former convict looking for a prison mate who owes him money and is a former henchman of Mickey’s.

All of the stories intersect, and such oddities as a peculiar massage parlor and a ship named the Golden Fang come into play throughout.

The intersecting stories lead to the revelation of a drug ring. I had little idea what was happening, but I was still enthralled.

Inherent Vice has an unpredictability that is so pleasing and captivating. Joaquin Phoenix is compelling as Doc, a damaged character with an unclear past.

When Doc is, by all accounts, framed for the murder of a convict and interrogated by the police, we wonder what history he has with them and what led him to branch out on his own as a private investigator.

Detective “Bigfoot” Bjornsen, wonderfully played by Josh Brolin, is a rival of Doc’s, though it is unclear why. “Bigfoot” is frequently seen with chocolate-covered phallic objects in his mouth and is married to a severe, overbearing woman.

Most characters are peculiar and have strange nuances, yet are never fully fleshed out, instead remaining curious and thought-provoking.

Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, and Owen Wilson appear in small yet pivotal roles.

Quite reminiscent of Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1974) and Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (1973), in both the California setting and the plodding, slow-paced, magnificent storytelling, Inherent Vice is a confusing gem, but by all means a gem worth seeing and reveling in the intrigue.

Just don’t try to make too much sense of it all.

Oscar Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Robert Altman Award (won)