Shadows on the Wall | Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice

dir-scr Paul Thomas Anderson
prd Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi, JoAnne Sellar
with Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Hong Chau, Joanna Newsom, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, Eric Roberts, Jena Malone, Martin Donovan, Maya Rudolph, Michael Kenneth Williams, Serena Scott Thomas, Sasha Pieterse
release US 12.Dec.14, UK 30.Jan.14
14/US Warner 2h28
Inherent Vice

Say what? Waterston and Phoenix

• SUPPORTING ACTOR
JOSH BROLIN

R E V I E W B Y R I C H C L I N E

Infuriatingly elusive, Anderson's adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel never tries to make sense of the labyrinthine plot. The filmmaker merely presents scene after expertly staged scene, never connecting the dots between them or allowing the rambling dialog to come into any kind of focus. The vibe is fascinating, but it's impossible to get involved.

In 1970 Los Angeles, Doc (Phoenix) is a stoner private investigator whose ex Shasta (Waterston) asks for help when her property developer boyfriend (Roberts) goes missing. Doc starts looking into things, immediately crossing paths with his nemesis, Detective Bjornsen (Brolin), better known as Bigfoot. But the more Doc discovers, the more complicated things get, linking Mickey's disappearance to a boat called Golden Fang. Or maybe a dental racket called Golden Fang. And then there's the presumed-dead Coy (Wilson), who is clearly alive. And Doc's DA friend Penny (Witherspoon) who always seems one step ahead.

The film opens with an intense scene of groovy dialog and never allows viewers to catch up. Conflicting revelations abound, as Doc tries to figure out what's happening through his own drug-addled perception. Anderson is playing with his audience, challenging us to hang in there until things come into focus, knowing that everything will only get blurrier. But his direction is so sharp that each scene carries a punch, even if it's never quite clear what the overall context might be.

The acting is also razor-sharp, with Phoenix giving a remarkably consistent turn as an outrageously inconsistent loose cannon. Brolin has the best-defined character: blunt and crazed, but trying to have a relatively normal family life, as if that's even remotely possible. His incessant consumption of frozen bananas is hilarious. The show-stealer is Short as a riotous drug-pushing dentist, but each of sprawling cast members manages to turn even the smallest role into someone luridly colourful.

With so many characters and fast-paced conversations, plus voiceover narration filling in any gaps, it's impossible to catch a breath. Most people on-screen never quite fit into the bigger picture, and the plot details stubbornly refuse to resolve into something coherent. But this is a movie about atmosphere, and Anderson is a master at generating tension and humour in the least expected places, aided by another wonderfully eclectic Jonny Greenwood score. But perhaps you need to be high to find the loose sense of humour even remotely funny. Or to have a clue what this movie is actually about.

themes, language, violence, sexuality, drugs 17.Nov.14

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Kallie Wilbourn, Las Vegas, New Mexico: 4/5

Viewers may find this hard to believe, but Andersen's film tightens Pynchon's narrative without sacrificing any of its gritty detail and characterization. Phoenix is the perfect choice for Doc. He is a stoner and granted, this affects his affect. However, he is not so out of the ordinary, especially in late 1960s Southern California beach culture. In fact, he sounds like many surfer/dopers did then, but is sufficiently more coherent, canny, and observant to be a detective. As far as this Chandler appreciator is concerned, the spoof on Southern California detective noir is perfectly transplanted from the 1940s to the 1960s in both novel and film. Maybe you had to live there (as a stoner in Southern California at some time) but I can't think of a scene in this film that I would change. (27.May18)