Inherent Vice (R, 148 minutes)
P.T. Anderson’s latest is for people who can allow themselves to get involved in a movie and aren’t obsessed with keeping track of each and every character and plot point. It’s a dreamy film layered with textures that replicates, in a very naturalistic way, a particular time and place.
What plot there is is purposefully convoluted and diffuse. Inherent Vice is presented mostly through the consciousness of dope-addled but relatively competent and honest private detective Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), who, at the urging of his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston), begins to look into the disappearance of Shasta’s current lover, predatory real estate developer Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts).
Shasta believes Mickey’s wife (Serena Scott Thomas) is planning to have him committed so she can make off with his fortune, but Doc’s investigation reveals stuff that may or may not be peripheral to Wolfmann’s disappearance. Then Shasta disappears, and Doc encounters Golden Fang, a schooner docked at San Pedro that’s allegedly filled with a cargo of “inherent vice” it’s smuggling from the Caribbean.
As Doc tries to work out the connections among these film noir conventions, he’s being alternately hounded and bailed out by Los Angeles Police Department Detective “Bigfoot” Bjornsen (Josh Brolin), a bully who loathes dirty hippies in general but maybe harbors a soft spot for Doc. (Or maybe he just wants to keep Doc around to take an even bigger fall.)
If the movie has a flaw, it is that it is studded with familiar actors to a distracting extent. Maya Rudolph, for instance, has a tiny role as a receptionist.
That quibble aside, many will love this film about a relatively powerless but resourceful guy trying to do his best in trying circumstances, although there will be plenty who won’t.
50 to 1 (PG-13, 111 minutes) Based on the true story of Mine That Bird, the long shot who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby, 50 to 1 takes its time in delivering a slow-paced, toolong and cliched account of the challenges encountered by a misfit group of New Mexico cowboys on the way to Churchill Downs with a crooked-footed horse who somehow qualifies for the Run for the Roses.
Christian Kane stars as Mark Allen, the horse’s owner. Appearing as himself is Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel, who guided Mine That Bird along the rail to pass 18 horses in 20-plus seconds for his astonishing win. With William Devane, Skeet Ulrich; directed by Jim Wilson. Bonus material includes a making-of featurette and blooper reel.
Paddington (PG, 95 minutes) An adorable live-action version based on the beloved novels by Michael Bond, Paddington follows the funny, exciting, and unpredictable adventures of a young Peruvian bear (computer-generated, voiced by Ben Whishaw) who leaves his habitat-challenged home and journeys to the big city of London, wearing a label around his neck that says, “Please look after this bear.” With Hugh Bonneville, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman; directed by Paul King.
The Wedding Ringer (R, 101 minutes) A mediocre, implausible and vulgarity-strewn screwball bromance about Doug Harris (Josh Gad) who, lacking a best man a mere two weeks before his wedding, gets in touch with Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart), CEO of Best Man Inc., a company that provides best men for socially challenged grooms. High jinks ensue. With Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Dan Gill; directed by Jeremy Garelick.
The Gambler (R, 101 minutes) It’s hard to watch Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), an English professor who, despite having a rich if coldhearted mother and a really terrific apartment, seems bent on destroying himself. Although he reveals little detail on his self-destructive tendencies, Jim exhibits them by repeatedly squandering away every dollar of his often considerable winnings, eventually offering his life as collateral on a winnertakes-all bet in this affecting but often ridiculous and implausible film. It makes for tense, frustrating viewing of a seedy world where the character doesn’t seem to fit. Although there’s no logic or credibility to the plot, Wahlberg is highly watchable.
With Jessica Lange, John Goodman, Brie Larson; directed by Rupert Wyatt. The Blu-ray combo pack with Digital HD features more than an hour of bonus content including an extensive look at the filmmaking process, Mark Wahlberg’s character transformation, and deleted and extended scenes.