PTA, You're Inherently Off The Wall
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Release Date: 2014
Rating: 15
Running Time: 140 mins
Genre: Crime/Drama
Actors: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston
"INHERENT VICE: The tendency in physical objects to deteriorate due to fundamental instability of the components from which they are made, as opposed to the deterioration from external forces"
When Daniel Day Lewis received his second Academy Award for There Will Be Blood, he praised his director and screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA) by stating that his Oscar "Sprang like a golden sampling out of the mad beautiful head of Paul Thomas Anderson" from a film that came from just "a small devilish whisper". It was those words that many PTA fans would have all agreed they could not have phrased the directors films any better than that. When we look back at Paul Thomas Anderson's work, it's clear that the writer/director really does have a quirky and surreal edge to his films that create instant cult followings from so many audiences. His films posses a surreal yet relatable feel that are underlined with entirely human and understandable narratives that can only be found after hours of digging through the enigmas that shield them. We can look back on such films like There Will Be Blood and see into the mind of a clear sociopath as he falls deeper into his madness, and even in his rom-com Punch-Drunk Love, the film that proved Adam Sandler could in fact act, we see a quirky relationship and love story form around two very unique individuals. If we explore his films we can see how this amazing man's mind works.
So Inherent Vice. Where do I begin? It's a film about drug fuelled LA in the 70s showing how drug addiction, police corruption and the free attitudes of the people living in that time can affect what goes on. However, shielded by a dialogue heavy plot we loose ourselves in the mind of Larry "Doc" Sportello, a man who we're not sure is completely sane, or even if he's aware of what is going on outside his own mind. We question the character, who works as a private investigator, that perhaps he would be more successful in his job is he laid off the drugs, but even still, PTA has created a world in which the not even a sane sober mind could fully understand. It's being described as an "Acid tripping stoner movie" that I feel sums up how we would all see the world if we were high 24/7, that being, a complete and utter unravelable sinario, it will be impossible to keep track of what's going on. One thing I will say is that you have to go into this film knowing that or you will get completely lost. There is so much open for interpretation it's almost worth giving up on trying to follow the plot-line. If you listen the dialogue, that does heavily lay on this film, you could wonder if PTA even intended it all to make sense, or was it, like the fans would say, an acid trip made to baffle and confuse us.
Did Joaquin Phoenix actually understand the plot himself whilst shooting was taking place? Given that he exists in the majority if not all the scenes in this film it's interesting to wonder the impact he himself may have had in creating this film. Though maybe not appreciated by everyone now, I can't help but wonder if, after some serious studying and analysing of this film, would it become an all time classic in which we explore the very depths of the human mind? Or is it instead just a film to show the impact of 70s attitudes on Los Angeles society, not only showing how drastically the times have changed in the last 40 years but capturing the laid back and overly careless and free-loving attitudes of a lot of the people in that time? Either way it's a film that you're going to have to watch twice just to try and gain a basic understanding of what the film is trying to say, and even then you probably will struggle.
Though its an interesting film, so well shot and captured with funny scenes and a tiny snippet of action, I personally just didn't get pulled into it in the way I have in other films. I think maybe I spent too long trying to decipher the dialogue I may have been standing too close to see the big picture. But even so, unless you're a fan on PTA/Coeness/Lyncheon plots, you may struggle to enjoy Inherent Vice, it's not an easy viewing, and at nearly two and half hours you may in fact come out wondering if you've wasted your time. It's a fantastically acted and captured work of art but as a film for me I may have missed the point, or better yet, got a good grasp of it but didn't care for it. Either way, a good film, but may take some time before it actually gets anywhere.
6/10
