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Paul Thomas Anderson movies, ranked

By Matthew Pyne

SANTA BARBARA, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Director Paul Thomas Anderson speaks onstage at the Outstanding Directors Award Sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter during The 33rd Santa Barbara International Film Festival at Arlington Theatre on February 6, 2018 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SBIFF)
SANTA BARBARA, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Director Paul Thomas Anderson speaks onstage at the Outstanding Directors Award Sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter during The 33rd Santa Barbara International Film Festival at Arlington Theatre on February 6, 2018 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SBIFF) /
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Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice takes place in a familiar setting to PTA, Los Angeles County. Based on a 2009 novel by Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice follows Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) in his mission to protect a wealthy real estate developer from a kidnapping. Sportello is a private investigator and gets put on his mission at the implore of his ex-girlfriend Shasta Hepworth.

Inherent Vice seems like the least PTA-written screenplay and that’s probably because it’s adapted from the 2009 novel. PTA did adapt, ‘Oil!’ for 2007’s There Will Be Blood, but Inherent Vice is so much in the novel’s author’s (Thomas Pynchon) voice, that it feels somewhat inauthentic. Inherent Vice feels way too much like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to me than a standalone film.

Inherent Vice is more episodic than most PTA works, but can be hard to follow. What we have to remember as an audience, is that the plot meandering and not fully make sense is a result of us seeing the film through Doc Sportello’s eyes. The eyes of a hippy in the early 70’s may lead to a disorienting plot structure. The lead role of Doc Sportello, played by Joaquin Phoenix was originally supposed to be played by Robert Downey Jr. and while Phoenix held his own, the Downey Jr. casting choice would have been far more intriguing. Inherent Vice is also arguably one of Josh Brolin’s best roles. Brolin plays Lt. Bigfoot Bjornsen, a detective who interrogates Sportello and has some of the most absurd lines in the movie and reminds me of the John Michael Higgins character in Licorice Pizza. He feels like the most ‘PTA’ character in Inherent Vice.

Inherent Vice is currently available to rent.

My score: 7.7/10

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