
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Katherine Waterston, Josh Brolin, Joanna Newsom, Jena Malone, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Reese Witherspoon, Eric Roberts, Hong Chau, Martin Short
Rated R for drug use throughout, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and some violence, 148 minutes, Crime/Drama/Comedy
Compare to: Boogie Nights (1997), The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
You’ve got to give it to writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson. At this point, I think I could just watch one of his movies and know it was his before being told. Long shots that take you an entire minute to realize that man, this hasn’t changed from the time it started! While the story doesn’t take a backseat necessarily (I’ll get to that), the best way to enjoy Vice is by reminding yourself that these people are acting and none of it is real.
Why would you do that? Because everything and everyone are so natural in their roles that not knowing Joaquin Phoenix is a well established actor might may think Anderson really did go back in time to cast a hippie for the part. Continue reading →