Tracker Pixel for Entry

Anderson Invites You to His Latest Trip: ‘Inherent Vice’

Cinema | January 21st, 2015

Paul Thomas Anderson’s future cult film “Inherent Vice” is soft-boiled detective fiction. Bleary-eyed and hair-tousled, the movie is a pungent, shambling, meandering and thoroughly hilarious shaggy dog story with a non-agenda traceable directly to the likes of Howard Hawks’ adaptation of “The Big Sleep” and its famous anecdote in which Raymond Chandler received a telegram from the director demanding to know who committed one of the murders.

Chandler, of course, claimed he had no idea, and the legend has evolved into one of the most glorious arguments summarizing the value of the journey rather than the destination.

As the pot-addled private investigator Larry “Doc” Sportello, Joaquin Phoenix is about as far as he can get from the tightly coiled Freddie Quell, and the 180 feels like Anderson’s gift to his star. A mellow cat in a dog-eat-dog, post-Manson horror show, Doc may or may not be smarter than he lets on. A visit from his “ex-old lady,” Shasta Fay Hepworth (Katherine Waterston), propels Doc, more or less, in the direction of a knotty/naughty missing person case, and the leads only lead to what might be described as more of a rabbit warren than a rabbit hole.

“Inherent Vice” is the first big screen adaptation of Thomas Pynchon to be produced, and Anderson’s script preserves much of the novel’s tone and language, especially evident via the narration provided by Joanna Newsom’s Sortilege.

The story goes that Anderson transcribed the novel’s dialogue line for line and the action scene for scene before deciding what had to be cut, and the result should delight devotees of Pynchon’s gift for Heller-esque monikers, spider-webbed pop culture allusions, brain-melting argot and the warped antinomies of L.A. law enforcement, the last perfectly captured by Josh Brolin’s Lt. Detective Christian F. “Bigfoot” Bjornsen.

The flat-topped civil rights violator is a perfect foil and nemesis to Doc’s filthy-footed hippie, and the symbiosis between the two unlikely bedfellows provides many of the movie’s biggest laughs and most satisfying exchanges.

Bjornsen’s square jaw and square attitude clash with Doc’s permissive anti-establishment vibe, but “renaissance cop” and gumsandal are more unified than either cares to admit. Theirs is the movie’s most thoroughly understood and fully realized relationship.

Anderson’s deliberately slack pacing will alienate many viewers, but the relaxed running time allows the filmmaker to indulge in one of his greatest strengths: the non-stop introduction of fabulous faces in meaty roles, some of which turn out to be single scene appearances so delicious you keep your fingers crossed that Doc will reacquaint himself with these creatures later. Not unlike the gallery of misfits in Anderson’s other ’70s southern California period trip “Boogie Nights,” “Inherent Vice” showcases the auteur’s affection for actors, and the giddy exuberance shows.

In his entertaining video essay, Chris Wade makes a case for the “Slacker Noir,” a “mystery in which the protagonist’s primary goal is to extricate himself from the main storyline rather than somehow solve or resolve the conflict.”

Naturally, the subgenre mash-up of tough, pulpy crime writing perfected by Hammett, Cain and Chandler (dependent on procedure) and stoner comedy (dependent on inability to function procedurally) relies on parody, and in this respect “Inherent Vice” can be aligned with hallmarks including Anderson-hero Robert Altman’s “The Long Goodbye” and Joel and Ethan Coen’s “The Big Lebowski.” 

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakotans will take part in a nationwide civil rights rally on Thursday, July 17. Protests, marches, rallies and acts of service are scheduled in Bismarck, Bottineau, Devils Lake,…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

July 18-19, 25-26 and August 2-3North Dakota Horse Park, 5180 19th Ave. N., FargoLadies and gentlemen, prepare to place your bets — racing season is upon us! Not just horses will be racing this year; word on the street suggests…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy doesn’t the world require politicians to leave office at 60?Most of the leaders of countries, whether gods, fascists, democrats or socialists, are not doing very well these days. David Van…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Sabrina Hornung Wing, North Dakota is a town of 132 located about an hour northwest of Bismarck on Highway 36. There’s a shiny new Cenex on the intersection of the highway and the high…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…