REVIEW: The Master

There are no spoilers in this review. 

PLOT: A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader.


THE GOOD: Story. In Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, Joaquin Phoenix's character, Freddie Quell, is an alcoholic. But he's not just any normal kind of alcoholic. He mixes his own concoctions. I'm not talking Cosmos and Manhattans here; his ingredients sometimes include fuel, paint thinner, rubbing alcohol, and more. It's only when Freddie drinks these poisons that he actually feels something. That is, until he starts a friendship with Lancaster Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Dodd is a charismatic man who finds genuine interest in Freddie. Sure, he enjoys Freddie's brews just as much, but he has a connection with him. He feels something for him. Why would Dodd find someone like Freddie so interesting? For the same reason that we as an audience can't take our eyes off of his destructive behavior. Freddie becomes Dodd's protégé and they travel the country together spreading word of The Cause. The Cause is an analogy for Scientology, and therefore has caused some controversy around the film. I'm here to tell you, though, that this film is not about Scientology. It's a love story between two friends in the '50s done in a subtle and ambiguous way. The more I think of it, the more clear it is to me. I won't dive further than that into the story so that the surprises come at the right time for you.

If Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master looks "too boring" for you, might I recommend Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil: Retribution, you chimp.

Acting. I will be shocked... SHOCKED if Joaquin Phoenix does not win the Oscar this year. He's been nominated twice now for great performances in Gladiator and Walk the Line, and with The Master being his best role yet, I feel like he has this one in the bag. Philip Seymour Hoffman is just as good, but I don't know if his performance will be characterized as supporting actor or not. If it is, he should win it. Amy Adams is alright here. Definitely does her job, but doesn't really have much screen time anyway. The rest of the supporting cast is good, too.

Score. Those who enjoyed There Will Be Blood's hair-riasing and tense score will recognize Jonny Greenwood's second Paul Thomas Anderson movie score. It does have similarities both in style and context, but is also different in its own way. It's haunting like TWBB, but also quizzical when it comes to scenes revolving around The Cause. You can stream the entire album on Spotify here.

Cinematography. The Master was shot on 65mm film being the first fictional film to be shot in 65mm since Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet in 1996. It's playing in 70mm in select theatres around the country. Despite not seeing the film in 70mm myself, I still appreciated a lot of the cinematography. There are lots of close-up shots on faces, which is necessary for such a character-focused film like this. Faces also go in and out of focus a lot to provide some disorientation around Phoenix's character. There are brilliant, typical Paul Thomas Anderson tracking shots that just attract the eye. One of the most memorable visual scenes was out in the desert when the two main characters ride really fast on a motorcycle. Mihai Malaimare Jr. served as cinematographer, making The Master Anderson's first film without cinematographer Robert Elswit. I kind of miss Elswit's technique, but understand the difference in visual style that PTA may have been going for. This movie really does look like it took place in the 1950s.

PTA did try to please some folks who don't typically like arthouse films with The Master. There is quite a brilliant fart joke in there.

THE BAD: Nothing.


THE END: This film is a masterpiece and people will be interpreting it for years. Paul Thomas Anderson continues to be one of the best directors of our time and I'm consistently impressed with how much he has still grown. This movie is not for everyone. It's very much for the arthouse/indie crowd and even then, some folks might not get it. I think I saw half a dozen folks walk out of the theatre 30 minutes into this one. Before seeing the movie, I read some reviews from critics who said that you need to watch this movie a second time. I totally get it now. Like most PTA films, I'm sure this movie will improve with age. It's certain to get nominated for an Oscar, so I recommend checking this one out soon.


DISCUSS: What did you think of The Master? What were your expectations going into this film? What did you think of the third act? Do you think it'll be nominated for Academy Awards? What is your favorite Paul Thomas Anderson film? What did you think of the music and cinematography? What would you say the overall theme of the movie is?

You know, Joaquin Phoenix could just do the whole Forrest Gump hands-on-hips thing through the whole movie and I would still love it.