Inherent Vice

This mystery comedy is dazzling and mysterious. With Joaquin Phoenix commanding the screen he is flawless and amazing with so many funny scenes and makes sense but it kinda fails to the fact this movie is entertaining.

Pay attention to this movie, it is hard to follow. Well acted, and well shot, and a few funny scenes at times...but wow... pay attention or watch it more then once. I stopped watching it half way through and I have very little idea of what is going on or why its happening. Might restart it or just let it go ... undecided.

I have not read Pynchon's eponymous book yet, so it's hard to judge how well it's adapted here, but I'd say that any Pynchon adaptation would require quite the craft to realize, so chapeau to Anderson for wrestling with it. The film does manage to conjure up the paranoid atmosphere and retains the wit of Pynchon's writing, so it was thoroughly enjoyable. Way to satirize FBI's CONTELPRO during the Vietnam war, corporate America, police violations of human rights, drug rehab industry, and real estate development. There's the scatological, but there's also the hopeful, against all the entropy, and the underlying horror of say, proliferating swastikas. The cast was just great, everyone did a fabulous job, I thought. If I may be so petty, I could have used more enunciation from the lead actress, especially when she's explaining some key info. Other than that, I have no complaints. Phoenix has been doing interesting work for years, but Brolin was a revelation for me. He was just so good in this. And as brief as their appearances are, Del Toro and Short make their characters quite memorable. Other reviewers have commended the cinematography, and the score, so I will just add a concurrence here on those points. I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Why not five stars? It's still very much a Hollywood film.

If You have had the pleasure of reading the most refreshing and funny books to come along since "Fight Club", you will be almost immediately disappointed in the first half-hour of watching this meandering and stumbling plod-given-plot, that you will be pulling out your hair asking, "Why, why, why?". Nothing gells here, everything that was humor, has been cast aside, I would presume for the director's bloated and overrated talent. By all means, skip and read the book again....that, I will guarantee you, will never dissatisfy.

Given that it is considered impossible to turn a Pynchon book into a film this a great movie. Joaquin Phoenix is great as is the screenplay. When in the Golden State don't cross the Golden Fang.

The rewatchability of this movie is crazy. PTA does it again.

It's actually a great movie although a lot on here don't like it. The first time I watched it I wasn't crazy about it due to extremely complicated plot. After giving it another shot and taking it for what it is, the movie is beautifully shot and has an amazing soundtrack. If you have only seen it once, watch it again and relax. You notice more that way. The dialogue is silly and the atmosphere is wonderful. Definitely a great of 2014

I love movies…….all kinds of movies. This one i could not finish watching. Endless amount of BORING!!!

The film maintains a cast of notable actors but the script and dialogue is often rambling and incoherent. I watched the movie two times and feel the purchase and rental price should be $2.99 and $.99. Save your money, folks.

This movie had an amazing trailer. Who ever created it was VERY talented, because this movie SUCKED!!!!!