This is a weird film. This is a bizarre film. This is an insane film…I kind of liked it.
Inherent Vice is Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest extravaganza; a comedy disguised as a neo-noir detective film. The comedy is both Inherent Vice’s strongest area and saving grace, as I could barely keep up with its convoluted plot. There’s an abundance of information thrown at the audience from start to finish, with the majority provided by the film’s narrator. What doesn't help matters is the narration being told while a completely (and often hilariously) different scenario is occurring onscreen; creating a very distracting environment for listening. Nonetheless, I was still barely able to follow the main premise (mostly having trouble remembering which character belonged to which name) while enjoying the film’s intentionally bizarre yet fantastic sense of humor.
Inherent Vice is Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest extravaganza; a comedy disguised as a neo-noir detective film. The comedy is both Inherent Vice’s strongest area and saving grace, as I could barely keep up with its convoluted plot. There’s an abundance of information thrown at the audience from start to finish, with the majority provided by the film’s narrator. What doesn't help matters is the narration being told while a completely (and often hilariously) different scenario is occurring onscreen; creating a very distracting environment for listening. Nonetheless, I was still barely able to follow the main premise (mostly having trouble remembering which character belonged to which name) while enjoying the film’s intentionally bizarre yet fantastic sense of humor.
Inherent Vice’s comedy comes from its setups rather than consistent humor; playing up the neo-noir detective premise (in a somewhat abnormal, yet otherwise serious scene), only to throw in a curve ball moment of absolute hilarity. Here’s an example: our stoner private eye protagonist Doc (Joaquin Phoenix) meets up with a client to investigate her husband’s recent death. There she divulges her escapades in the drug business/use, to the point where her breast milk was leaking out heroin (yes you read that right). She shows Doc a picture of such event, resulting in a completely out of nowhere (yet highly understandable) scream of horror. Doc then immediately returns to his former placid self, continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened. Other scenes use similar models, with Doc starting an investigation discussion only for some hilarious event to occur right in the middle of it.
Doc is one of Phoenix’s finest performances, which has a lot to do with the character’s off-putting personality (mostly due to the character’s constant drug use). He always seems distracted, clumsy and awkward, hardly thinking situations through (yet miraculously getting through them) while regularly slurring in movement and conversation. The bizarre performance works perfectly with the film’s bizarre setting and comedy. The first real comedic moment had me laughing quite louder than expected, yet I quit feeling embarrassed when I realized most of the audience were laughing just as loud. We the viewers soon developed a pattern of laughter to go along with the film’s comedy routine; several minutes of silence, followed by a moment of the theater erupting with laughter, then right back to silence.
There’s also Doc’s relationship with police officer Bigfoot (Josh Brolin); a strange love-hate relationship (more hate than love) between stoner and cop which results in some wonderful scenes, whether it involves chocolate-covered bananas, breaking down doors, or Bigfoot’s wife (all three make sense in context…somewhat). While Inherent Vice’s convoluted plot is an issue, my main gripe is with Doc’s primary love interest Shasta (Katherine Waterston), whose first name is an anagram for “A Stash” oddly enough (it makes sense in context…it doesn't actually, I just wanted to point it out). There’s nothing wrong with the actor’s performance here, it’s just her character’s personality is really bland and tame for such a bizarre film. I’ll give credit that her built-up sex scene was erotic, but if you want to watch a hot female with no personality have sex, then I suggest you watch porn instead. Whenever she appears, expect drawn out scenes of comedy-free drama and bland romantic sappiness. In all honesty I wish the film ended Casablanca style, with Doc and Bigfoot driving off together in search of new adventures; at least they had better chemistry than Doc and Shasta. My advice for viewing Inherent Vice is not to focus on its very confusing plot, but rather enjoy the wacky journey its characters take; I was able to figure this out early on, and ended up enjoying the film as a result.
