Thomas Pynchon writes odd books and Joaquin Phoenix makes odd films, so this is a match made in heaven. Or maybe in a backroom in Hollywood after a few too many lines of coke, a few too many puffs of weed, and just a touch of PCP.
Set in 1970 and featuring a lot of drugs and nudity, it’s the story of one of the more unusual Private Eyes in fiction. Doc is a drugged out loser who solves crimes by karma, luck, and chutzpah. He spends most of the film stoned. He flirts with just about everyone he meets. And his only friend seems to be a corrupt cop that might or might not want to kill him.
The story rambles around for two and half hours and sort of deals with some kind of a drug cartel. There is also his love life, such as it is. We never see Doc do any work, but he seems to have an office and a receptionist. One random thing follows another. We watch as Doc encounters a bizarre world filled with screwball characters. Among my favorite cameos are Martin Short as a coke snorting dentist and former porn star Belladonna, who slaps Doc when he makes an improper suggestion. There are many stars that have what amount to walk on parts as Doc bumbles around aimlessly.
The film is filled with strange little moments, such as when a woman shows Doc a photo of her ugly child and Doc screams like an extra in a Halloween film. Cops continually stare at Doc and occasional assulat him for no reason. There is a voice over from time to time that talks about the zodiac of stoners. I liked a scene near the start where a whorehouse has it’s prices on a small board like a sandwich shop.
Like any real dective story, there is crime and gunplay. But unlike most dective stories, our hero has next to nothing to do with solving the crime. Or maybe he did, but I missed it. Inherent Vice is a film that leaves you feeling like you missed a lot, even if you didn’t.
Inherent Vice was fun, in a baffling and confusing kind of way.
