Inherent Vice Review

RYAN: I was really looking forward to this movie because it’s from director Paul Thomas Anderson, who did There Will be Blood, Boogie Nights, The Master, among others and he’s really good; but this movie is not.

CAROLINE: And it’s getting some buzz though, right?  Isn’t it nominated for some Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and a Golden Globe?

RYAN: Yes.  Joaquin is up for best actor for this at the Globes, and at the Critics’ Choice, it’s up for screenplay, Josh Brolin for supporting, costumes and art direction.

CAROLINE: Sometimes it is just expectations and a popularity contest.

RYAN: Don’t get me wrong.  The performances are good and there are a lot of technical things about this movie that are fantastic – but the script is not one of them,

CAROLINE: Who did you like the best in it?

RYAN: Brolin.  He’s hilarious in it.  He looks great, obviously.

CAROLINE: God he’s so gorgeous.

RYAN: I remember that time we met him and I’m pretty sure he was flirting with you.

CAROLINE: (laughs) I’d love to believe that, but no.

RYAN: He’s great – he does these random, overtly sexual things with a banana that I was just cracking up.

CAROLINE: How about Reese and the rest?

RYAN: Well the costumes, hair and makeup and everything that makes it true to 1970 are very good.  It was cool seeing Joaquin and Reese Witherspoon do scenes together, except I was thinking a little bit of, “It’s like a sequel to Walk the Line,” which of course it is not, but just seeing them together again.

CAROLINE: Of course.

RYAN: She’s not in it much but she’s good.  Owen Wilson’s there but I loved the part Martin Short played.  I have always loved him and his hair is so funny and so many people are doing drugs in this movie but he’s just really funny also.

CAROLINE: Why didn’t you like the script?

RYAN: The story is so hard to follow.  Unless it’s trying to make you feel like you’re on drugs while you’re watching it, it just doesn’t make sense much of the time.  The narration doesn’t really help you out – it’s almost just ambient.  And your brain struggles to make sense of a story and it just barely comes together.  The one time I thought I figured out what it was all about, it moved in another direction.  This movie really annoyed me.  The first time I tried to watch it I turned it off after 30 minutes and only forced myself to watch it again to review it.  I really had no interest in continuing it.

CAROLINE: Does it make any sense by the end?

RYAN: Some but it’s not satisfying at all.  And it’s almost three hours long.  Nightmare.  I would have just walked out of this movie it’s so bad.

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