Inherent Vice – Movie Review by Frances Winston

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio del Toro, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom

In cinemas January 30th

Based on the acclaimed 2009 novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon this features a stellar cast who all get their groove on in keeping with the 1970s setting. Although Robert Downey Jr was originally attached to star it is Joaquin Phoenix who takes the lead here playing Doc Sportello, a hippie, stoner, private eye. When his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Waterson) shows up unexpectedly asking for his help his interest is piqued. She tells him about her new lover, property magnate Mickey Wolfmann (Roberts) whose is wife is plotting to have him committed to a mental asylum and asks him to look into it. As Doc begins to investigate the case events spiral out of control and he soon realises that there is much more going on than Shasta imagined. When an anxious wife also hires him to look for her missing husband Coy (Wilson) the two cases become irrevocably intertwined and it is left to Doc to try and see through his own haze in order to get to the bottom of it putting himself in life threatening situations in the process.

This has possibly the most complex plot of any movie of recent times. Although on the whole it does justice to the source material there is so much going on that it is sometimes difficult to keep up and at times it feels as if it is meandering. Anderson himself has described it as a Cheech & Chong movie and you do actually feel as if you are stoned alongside Doc.

With a multitude of characters most of them don’t get a huge amount of screen time and the end result is that you don’t invest fully in them. That said everybody gives excellent performances. Unfortunately it is sometimes hard to take them seriously as every 70s cliché is used to death. Groovy is the buzzword of the day here. Phoenix and Brolin work well together as Doc and his nemesis Detective “Bigfoot” Bjornson and they have some great scenes together but it would have been nice to see more of some of the other big names here.

At around two and a half hours Anderson could probably have shaved off at least 20 minutes. The film feels like it comes to an organic end at several points only for the action to recommence making the ending somewhat dissatisfying when it eventually gets there. That said Anderson does actually neatly wrap up every little thread of the plot which is no mean feat given how much is actually going on.

With a score by Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood and beautiful cinematography this is an aural and visual feast. It has all the makings of a future cult classic. If you hate Anderson’s work this isn’t going to covert you and if you are looking for a story with a straightforward narrative and some cohesion throughout you probably won’t get this. However, if you approach it with a clear head and pay full attention and keep track of who’s who then you will really enjoy this. It is the kind of film that is always going to polarise opinion but it definitely merits a watch.