Back to trending
Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice

Drama · Mystery · Comedy · 2014

In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.

Movie details

Inherent Vice

“Love usually leads to trouble.”

2014 Drama · Mystery · Comedy 2h 29m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.6 / 10

119.4K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

73 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

81 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Inherent Vice?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Wonderland

Wonderland

Crime · 2003

On the afternoon of July 1, 1981, Los Angeles police responded to a distress call on Wonderland Avenue and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide. The police investigation that followed uncovered two versions of the events leading up to the brutal murders - both involving legendary porn actor John Holmes.

American Gigolo

American Gigolo

Crime · 1980

Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife, without expecting any pay. One of his clients is murdered and Detective Sunday begins pumping him for details on his different clients, something he is reluctant to do considering the nature of his work. Julian begins to suspect he's being framed. Meanwhile Michelle begins to fall in love with him.

Under the Silver Lake

Under the Silver Lake

Crime · 2018

Young and disenchanted Sam meets a mysterious and beautiful woman who's swimming in his building's pool one night. When she suddenly vanishes the next morning, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy.

Postcards from the Edge

Postcards from the Edge

Comedy · 1990

A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she's forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.

Filth

Filth

Crime · 2013

A bigoted junkie cop suffering from borderline personality disorder and drug addiction manipulates and hallucinates his way in a bid to secure promotion.

Brick

Brick

Drama · 2006

A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.

American Made

American Made

Comedy · 2017

The true story of pilot Barry Seal, who transported contraband for the CIA and the Medellin cartel in the 1980s.

Dazed and Confused

Dazed and Confused

Comedy · 1993

The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.

Gone Baby Gone

Gone Baby Gone

Crime · 2007

When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live.

Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights

Drama · 1997

In 1977, an idealistic porn producer and his promising protege try to catch up with the end of an era before their never-ending party collides with cold, hard reality.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Paul Thomas Anderson

Written by

Paul Thomas Anderson

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix

Larry "Doc" Sportello

Josh Brolin

Josh Brolin

Lt. Det. Christian F. "Bigfoot" Bjornsen

Owen Wilson

Owen Wilson

Coy Harlingen

Katherine Waterston

Katherine Waterston

Shasta Fay Hepworth

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

Deputy D.A. Penny Kimball

Benicio del Toro

Benicio del Toro

Sauncho Smilax, Esq.

Jena Malone

Jena Malone

Hope Harlingen

Court is in session

Put Inherent Vice on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.