Inherent Vice
2014
**
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio del Toro, Jena Malone, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short
It's 1970 in Los Angeles. Larry "Doc" Sportello is a full-time stoner and part-time shrink and private investigator. His latest case is set in motion by Doc's ex-girlfriend who suspects that her lover's wife and her lover are going to have the husband, a wealthy real estate mogul, committed to a mental institution. Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel follows in the footsteps of Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye. It's one of those mood pieces where the journey is more important than the destination. Unfortunately the journey is way too long and frankly dull. The film looks and sounds terrific, though.
