Inherent Vice

So I just recently learned what a crygasm is; apparently it's when you're having break up sex with your ex and they start crying the second they climax because they're so distraught. Um...what are you supposed to do at that point, stop to console them or just keep going until you get yours as well? For whatever reason I thought this was the funniest thing in the world last night and I clearly fit into the latter category but all this is, is further proof that I am an awful, awful person.

What does this have to with Inherent Vice? Well the first act of the movie is full of nothing but jokes that feel as though they were written by a 13 year old. That doesn't necessarily mean they weren't funny, because I did laugh, it's just that if you're going to make your own version of the brilliant Big Lebowski, then you better step your game up. Even today people are still quoting that movie and having Lebowski watch parties as that was one of the best comedies ever written!

Well Paul Thomas Anderson decided that it had been far too long since he made Boogie Nights and he wanted to take a break from dissecting the evil that is humanity. So he adapted the Thomas Pynchon book of the same name and wound up dissecting evil humans in a more humorous way.

Vice takes place in 1970's Los Angeles, a place where there was strong hatred for the hippie generation and drugs were being passed around like they were Spearmint gum. So as you can see, not much has changed since then. It follows Doc(Joaquin Phoenix) around as he tries solve the curious case of his missing ex girlfriend Shasta who was the mistress of a big shot real estate tycoon named Michael Wolfmann.Wolfmann's wife and her boyfriend came up with a scheme to steal all of his money while at the same time having him committed to a loony bin; all they needed was the help of Shasta.

Well as the movie goes on, you meet more or more interesting characters, all of whom wind up missing, dead, or more involved in the plot themselves as PTA does an excellent job handling all of these interweaving story lines. Even someone as dumb as me was able to keep up. The problem is, PTA spends so much time creating this weird and seemingly alternate universe that by the time the third act starts up, you're so fatigued you could care less how it's going to end. I found myself barely caring when this beautiful starlet shows up at Doc's house naked and ready to go. I eventually came to my senses though and uh perked up a bit.

Phoenix is solid as usual and he works well in a comedy format but the real star of the movie is his rival Lt. Bigfoot, played masterfully by Josh Brolin. He is your typical crew cut hard ass copper and every scene with him is comic gold.

I really liked this movie, it's just that its 20 minutes too long and needed Sam Elliott narrating it versus that of the random stupid hippie he casted; see this hatred thing is catching on!  I give it a rating of pretty FRESH!