1970: A Drug Odyssey
Paul Thomas Anderson films in general, so far, have been films that I haven't really warmed to. I didn't really dig Magnolia and I couldn't stand The Master, so with this in mind, my expectation level going into Inherent Vice was rather flat. After watching it though, it's safe to say Inherent Vice is probably my favourite Anderson film to date, which in itself is faint praise due to my distaste for his earlier material. The film focuses on Joaquin Phoenix's, private investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello, and his plot to help his ex-girlfriend have her wealthy boyfriend Mickey Wolfmann committed to an insane asylum, yet that's as clear as the film's plot gets, with its' two and a half hour run-time being full of ambiguity and a distinct haziness which clearly attempts to parallel the drug-infested era of the early 1970's. The challenging nature of the film will definitely not be for everyone, particularly those who depend on a film's narrative being explained to the last detail, yet it's lack of explanation adds a strange layer of mystery, which in itself is rather compelling.
Inherent Vice is full of solid acting, strong comedic moments, and a plot so out-of-control, it ends up being both painful and fascinating, Its' run-time is way too long, and the film suffers as a result, as many times I began to lose patience and checked how long we had left. Like I said, Inherent Vice is my favourite Anderson film to date, and it makes me want to watch his previous efforts again to see if it was just me and not the films themselves. Peace Out.
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