Inherent Vice – Film Review
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Katherine Waterston, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Benico Del Toro, Jena Malone, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short and Eric Roberts
Release Date: Out Now
The opening shot of Inherent Vice is that of a sun soaked beach in 1970’s Las Angeles. Unlike the image you have in your head, however, it is a cramped, awkward and even ugly shot. The beach is only partially visible between two tired-looking beach houses. The sun is setting over the waves, but no effort is made to highlight the romanticism of this. The glamour is there, but this is a very different perspective. Which is what Paul Thomas Anderson appears to be going for in his reflection on ‘hippy culture’ in the drug-fuelled 70’s.
We spend the film shadowing Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello (Phoenix), a private detective who resolves his clients’ unsavory issues from a dentist’s office and in his bare feet. He is an unemotional man whose main concern (if you could call it that) is where his next spliff is coming from. His work is not his life. His drug habits are not his life, though they feature heavily. In fact, it’s difficult to see what he is concerned with in life at all!
That is, until his ex girlfriend/roommate/spiritual partner/stoner buddy is reported missing. Shasta (Waterston) split from him and becomes involved with the very square Michael Z. Wolfman (Roberts), who has also been reported missing. Over the course of the film, Doc accepts a number of cases, all of which appear to tie in with Shasta’s disappearance.
Like all of Anderson’s films, Inherent Vice boasts an impressive cast, but doesn’t rest its laurels on star power at all. They are all cogs in the big machine that is the film itself. The film is the real star here. For example, Reese Witherspoon, who is currently nominated for Best Actress for her role in Wild, is only given a minor role. She plays Docs current, straight-laced girlfriend and, although she plays the part well, the film is as dismissive of her as Doc is. This is a deliberate act and simply part of the way Anderson operates.
There are standouts, and the most immediately obvious of these is the joyfully incomparable Josh Brolin. He plays the takes-shit-from-no-one detective, Christian F. Bjornsen AKA ‘Bigfoot’. With a penchant for chocolate covered bananas and assertive violence, he is The Man to Docs laid-back, groovy persona.
He and Doc share information on certain cases, and rip the shit out of each other at regular intervals. They have good chemistry, constantly butting heads throughout the film and playfully malicious towards one another. Their relationship is satisfyingly layered and the moments they share are some of the best scenes in the film.
Other characters have their moments in the sun but Anderson is careful not to let them outshine the film itself. This is primarily about Doc and the era, the culture, that he occupies. Jive suits and perms dominate the screen, complimented nicely with a Neil Young heavy soundtrack and golden beaches. It’s all about classic cars, impressively tacky suits and getting the best out of life in a depressing part of American history.
Central to this era is the clash between the cynical hippy culture and the more strait-laced patriotism, which stands in utter defiance to the Nixon Watergate scandal. Doc himself is an interesting paradox in that sense: he is an upholder of the law, yet he fully endorses the care-free, do-what-I-want lifestyle. Drugs and free love are integral to the film, the narrative and his character, even if they don’t necessarily drive the action.
Which brings us to the one major complaint that one might have of Inherent Vice: the plot is particularly convoluted, deliberately even. Doc is constantly taking on cases from clients, taking down names, jumping to conclusions and reassessing the information he has. Keeping track of what lead he is following, why it’s important or who he’s actually looking for becomes an ordeal very quickly.
The world of Inherent Vice is presented to the audience as a murky haze of information and we are expected to cling to whatever facts seem interesting at the time. Luckily, it isn’t essential for us to know everything that’s going on: we’re just there to enjoy the ride.
This is easily Anderson’s funniest film to date, and he weaves comedy in ways commercial directors are totally unaccustomed to. In the hands of Tarantino, this is a film that would be crammed with snappy one-liners or elaborate monologues on trivial subject manner.
While similar in tone, Anderson focuses more on visual humour; slight pauses in conversation, facial tics and superior camera angles which draw our attention to odd little details onscreen. It’s a sophisticated and believable humour that runs through the film, one that is carried largely by the wonderfully expressive Doc.
Phoenix, like Anderson, throws himself into this film and proves that he has what it takes to be a great comedy actor. He has received plenty of credit for his acting skills before (notably in Anderson’s last film, The Master) but in this area, his abilities have rarely been properly tested.
Through his body language, his voice and his laid back attitude, he provides us with a very memorable character who is immediately likable and appealingly cynical. While no one is ‘the star’ in an Anderson film, it’s clear who the driving force is in this picture.
At two and a half hours, it’s a little overlong and, at times, overwhelmingly difficult to follow. For Anderson enthusiasts however, there is plenty to unravel here with repeated viewings, and it’s easily one of his most watchable films to date. Funny, sophisticated and with a powerful personality, Inherent Vice is a groovy picture that embraces the realism of the 70’s without losing sight of the funny side of things.
Score: 4/5
Written by Stephen Hill
