Inherent Vice

Name: Inherent Vice
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Comedy, Romance, Crime
Released: December 12, 2014
Duration: 148 min
Rating: 81
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Jena Malone, Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Katherine Waterston

2014

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 43 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 425 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 425 Ratings

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Inherent Vice

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. | Release Date: December 12, 2014 | R

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Jena Malone, Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Katherine Waterston, Martin Short, Maya Rudolph, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

Summary: When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a loony bin...well, easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of theWhen private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a loony bin...well, easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic `60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused—except this one usually leads to trouble. [Warner Bros.]… Expand

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Comedy, Romance, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 148 min

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Critic Reviews

100

The Telegraph Robbie Collin

Oct 4, 2014

The film is stupendous: as antic as Boogie Nights and Punch-Drunk Love, but with The Master and There Will Be Blood’s uncanny feel for the swell and ebb of history. Read full review

100

Ben Kenigsberg

Dec 10, 2014

In its graceful superimpositions and its use of water to evoke a more idyllic time (particularly in a rainy flashback set to Neil Young), Inherent Vice is very much a companion piece to "The Master." Read full review

100

Ann Hornaday

Jan 8, 2015

Inherent Vice unfolds so organically, so gracefully and with such humanistic grace notes that even at its most preposterous, viewers will find themselves nodding along, sharing the buzz the filmmaker has so skillfully created. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Jan 8, 2015

Inherent Vice is an aggressively weird movie, which you should take not as a warning but as a compliment and an invitation to see it, to let its stoner vibes wash all over you. Read full review

Josh Kupecki

Jan 7, 2015

My advice? Relinquish yourself to this hazy tapestry, and let the film take over. Squares need not apply. Read full review

Dana Stevens

Dec 11, 2014

Inherent Vice’s spiraling, wordplay-happy script never quite resolves the difficulty of adapting this particularly confounding philosophical whodunit, but the film’s groovy sprawl is a fine place to hang out for 2½ hours, as long as, like Doc and his weed-toking cohort, you don’t mind spending a day in a pleasantly disoriented daze. Read full review

Kyle Smith

Dec 10, 2014

Inherent Vice, meandering even by Anderson’s standards, is easily the worst of his movies, a soporific 2½-hour endurance test. Read full review

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User Reviews

CMC

Dec 12, 2014

Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin are good fun to watch. Almost sufficiently Pynchon-esque, references to Philip Lorca Decorcia, Tarantino and south-bay jackie Brown. Some Kubrick-like absurdity. I think the drug confusion could have been expressed better, wish Owen Wilson and his baggage hadJoaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin are good fun to watch. Almost sufficiently Pynchon-esque, references to Philip Lorca Decorcia, Tarantino and south-bay jackie Brown. Some Kubrick-like absurdity. I think the drug confusion could have been expressed better, wish Owen Wilson and his baggage had not been dropped in. I wonder if PT can make a film relying on caricatures a little less, Magnolia comes close. Perhaps 15 minutes could have cut out with no damage. All these comments are trifles; there is just so much more here than you get these days. The film is not for everyone. Not for a lot of people, actually. I had a great time.… Expand

12 of 19 users found this helpful127

pryorto

Mar 24, 2015

I didn't expect to like Inherent Vice but now I'm in love with it. The cinematography and story-line are so organic that they feel familiar and homey.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

GerardistheWay

Aug 18, 2016

A book like Thomas Pynchon's "Inherent Vice", with its mix of zany characters, offbeat humor, and intelligently convoluted plot meant for serious readers, was made for Paul Thomas Anderson to adapt. It compliments his style in every way imaginable while he still manages to bring originalA book like Thomas Pynchon's "Inherent Vice", with its mix of zany characters, offbeat humor, and intelligently convoluted plot meant for serious readers, was made for Paul Thomas Anderson to adapt. It compliments his style in every way imaginable while he still manages to bring original vision and flair to the project. Try to follow me through the summary, if you can dig it.

Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix, in his second collaboration with Anderson) is a stoner hippie PI living in Los Angeles, riding out the tail end of the psychedelic '60s, when his ex-girlfriend Shasta Fay Hepworth (Katharine Waterson) shows up with a far-out story about a plan by the wife of her current billionaire land developer boyfriend (Eric Roberts) and the wife's boyfriend to get him committed as part of a get rich quick scheme. Groovy. Along the way Doc picks up a couple more cases, and in the process butts heads with local law enforcement (Josh Brolin), the FBI, and Neo-Nazi bikers working as bodyguards for the aforementioned land developer. Also, there's a missing saxophonist-turned-undercover government agent played by Owen Wilson, who screams profanity at Nixon in a scene that I wish could have actually been featured on TV. What a head trip.

As can always be expected from a movie adaptation of a novel some trimming has been done, as several larger supporting side characters were reduced to bit parts or completely cut out (as was the case for a Vegas trip taken by Doc with the on-and-off GF of a buddy of the Neo-Nazi biker he's paid to seek out by a member of the Black Panthers), but overall Anderson succeeds in staying true to the story and capturing the essence of the era depicted in the novel. Paranoia and mistrust are abundant as evidenced both by Doc's interactions with the Feds and with Brolin's character, Detective Lieutenant Christian F. "Bigfoot" Bjornsen (yes, that is his full name, but Bigfoot is the only important part), and the lead characters always seem so hard-assed or perpetually dazed it makes you wonder if people in the '60s were truly as hard-line as they are in this film: out of their mind on drugs nearly every hour of the day or straight-laced with their nose so high they'd drown in a rainstorm.

Without such a talented cast in both the lead and supporting roles, this movie would have undoubtedly been exponentially more difficult to make. Phoenix nails the role of Sportello with such a flawless grace that you'd think he was like that all the time; Brolin manages to make the character of Bigfoot both hilarious and threatening at the same time (there's a scene representing the best of both worlds where Bigfoot beats the snot out of Doc in front of a rookie cop outside the land developer's house), and Waterson, in making her character so secretive and mysterious makes her all the more seductive, and we're glad for it. The supporting cast ranges from all-stars (Benicio Del Toro, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Reese Witherspoon, Martin Donovan) to newcomers (Jordan Christian Hearn, Hong Chau, etc.), and it's so delightful to see both familiar faces and fresh ones co-existing together instead of fighting for the spotlight. That, plus a fitting soundtrack from Radiohead guitarist and another frequent Anderson collaborator Jonny Greenwood, makes the ride all the more enjoyable.

In short, there's no easy way to describe this movie; perhaps the best way is to imagine if "Up in Smoke" and "Pulp Fiction" met by chance late one night, went back to one of their apartments, and made sweet music 'til sunrise. This is truly a great movie; the humor and intelligence keeping you either doubled over on the floor or on your toes trying to anticipate its next move (you're out of your chair either way) makes for an addicting watching experience, and continues the tradition of PT Anderson's excellence in his craft. 9/10… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

BrianMcCritic

Jan 9, 2015

In the world of PTA this may be my least favorite, but I still appreciated it. The main flaw with the film is it has to many characters and at times you just can't follow. Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin really make this film go. Bottom line I'm really interested in a second viewing. B

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

Mike_M

Jan 19, 2015

I've seen this movie twice, both because I'm a PT Anderson fan, and because on first viewing, I came out scratching my head, and I thought that I might be missing its merits.

As opposed to other films of its ilk that have an intricate, even deliberately convoluted plot (The Big Sleep, TheI've seen this movie twice, both because I'm a PT Anderson fan, and because on first viewing, I came out scratching my head, and I thought that I might be missing its merits.

As opposed to other films of its ilk that have an intricate, even deliberately convoluted plot (The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye, The Big Lebowski, and maybe Kiss Me Deadly or other noir), Inherent Vice isn't wall-to-wall engaging scenes. A few of the scenes are, but far too many aren't sufficiently engaging. Half the scenes in this movie, right from the start, are highly skilled (the lighting, the acting, the composition), and otherwise wholly shruggable.

There's plenty of brains and heart as the movie talks about squares vs
subversives, or the abandoned values of the 60's being more human than the greed to follow, but if you've considered all this before, it might not add anything for you.

It's skillfully made, smart, and challenging.
But I'm still not sure I see what the artistic insights or merits are.… Expand

3 of 10 users found this helpful37

currer_bell

Aug 11, 2015

This movie sucked c**ks alright! Apart from Joaquim Phoenix brilliant performance - like he always do - this movie is a disaster. I can't remember watching such a long, dull and confusing movie since I don't know when, and it looks almost impossible it was made by the same guy who did theThis movie sucked c**ks alright! Apart from Joaquim Phoenix brilliant performance - like he always do - this movie is a disaster. I can't remember watching such a long, dull and confusing movie since I don't know when, and it looks almost impossible it was made by the same guy who did the very good " There will be Blood". Safe to say I'll never touch a book written by Thomas Pynchon...… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

mertz109

Oct 25, 2015

When I started watching the movie, it looked promising... but after the first half hour, my stomach started to turn and I realized I was watching a really, really bad movie.

The relationships that this character has with other characters aren't well-developed (or developed at all), so youWhen I started watching the movie, it looked promising... but after the first half hour, my stomach started to turn and I realized I was watching a really, really bad movie.

The relationships that this character has with other characters aren't well-developed (or developed at all), so you spend most of the movie watch the main character having wacky interactions with other characters, with no understanding of what's at stake, why their dynamic is what it is and why it seems that the emotions/behavior of the characters has no connection to what's happening in the story.

Another thing is that behavior of these characters... I have no idea why, but at a certain point, the movie devolves into a wacky cartoon... it's as if someone realized the movie was a steaming pile of crap and thought that acting wacky would somehow entertain the audience.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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48	#48 Best Movie of 2014
57	#57 Most Discussed Movie of 2014
49	#49 Most Shared Movie of 2014