PTA is one of the most talented directors working today, if not of all time. Unfortunately, Inherent Vice is the only movie of his that I just don't understand. Or rather I don't understand why he and other people think this is a good story. I understand the ideas behind it being a love letter to a bygone era that also serves as a noir parody with wacky characters. What I don't understand is why this way of telling the story got so much acclaim. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a great example of a film with little plot that gets by on the strength of the characters and manages to invoke feelings of nostalgia for an era which I never experienced. Inherent Vice isn't able to do that and its characters whilst sometimes amusing become grating as the dialogue and situations become increasingly puzzling. Finally, the jokes just aren't funny to me, apart from a few brief instances. The movie as a whole reminded me of Altman's The Long Goodbye which was yet another movie that I just couldn't understand. Both of them feel like inside jokes that I tried to be a part of as I scratched my head in confusion trying to figure out what the hell is going on. And maybe that's my problem, maybe I should've gone with the flow and embraced the weirdness. But most likely it's just not a style that will ever appeal to me and I will never fully comprehend the appeal of this film, even if I read a thousand explanations.
Review of Inherent Vice
