A strange, trippy detective novel come to life (literally; it’s based on Thoman Pynchon’s book), “Inherent Vice” is more than Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest work-in-progress with Joaquin Phoenix; it’s a total enigma.
I’ve seen the movie, and I’m not sure whether I liked it or not. On one hand it’s incredibly funny, with terrific comic performances by Phoenix (who appears to have giant fuzzy pork chops glued to his face and we’re never quite sure if his character is stoned or not…spoiler alert, usually he is), Josh Brolin, Martin Short, Benicio del Toro, and Katherine Waterston (who also, shall we say, shows off more than most of her co-stars).
It’s a wild, trippy 70s-era detective story where Larry “Doc” Sportello (Phoenix) investigates the disappearance of an old girlfriend, and finds police corruption, drugs, and assorted other shenanigans. If that sounds like your typical hard-boiled dick tale, think again: this is Paul Thomas Anderson we’re talking about. More “Magnolia” than “There Will Be Blood,” there are terrific sight gags and non sequitirs abound, with as much kitch as substance.
And therein lies the problem: it’s almost all silly. Even “Punch-Drunk Love” had an undercurrent of real emotion to it. “Vice” feels like all laughs, none of the annoying realness that his other movies had. There was genuine emotion to “Magnolia” (lots of it, in fact), even as frogs were raining from the sky.
“Inherent Vice” is P.T. Anderson’s messiest movie, but it boasts a lot of the wry, dark humor of his earlier work. If you’re an Anderson completist, you certainly don’t want to miss this movie. If you’re not, well, you can come for Katherine Waterston’s boobs, and stay for the rest of the craziness.
