The Master

 

The problem is likely with me.  Whenever I see a new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, I instantly expect great things.  And while The Master does provide some greatness (particularly the lead performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the gorgeous look of the film itself), the story it tells doesn't quite reach the heights you would expect.  I'm recommending the film, but another go at the script and a touch more editing would have really pushed this one over the top.

You've likely heard the talk on how the film is about a religious cult led by the charismatic Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), who was inspired by real life author, L. Ron Hubbard, the father of Scientology.  This might lead you to think that the film is an examination or critique on the religion.  And while there are some similarities between Dodd's group of followers, and the real world religion, the film is not really intended to be about Scientology in general.  Rather, it is a story about a man's need to belong somewhere in the world, when he really has nowhere else to go.  That man in this story is Freddie (Phoenix), a Navy veteran fresh from his service during World War II, with too many emotional and psychological scars to fit in anywhere.  He's a drifter for a while, moving from place to place and job to job, until in an alcohol-fueled state, he literally stumbles upon a boat where Dodd is hosting his daughter's wedding.

Rather than reject him, Dodd seems to welcome Freddie, and takes him under his wing.  Before too long, Freddie has become a faithful follower to Dodd's fledgling new religion.  He follows them from state to state, and tries to spread the word to others.  However, Freddie is constantly battling with his inner demons, namely alcoholism and his violent anger which causes him to lash out at any second.  When Dodd's experimental attempts to "cure" Freddie of his problems fail to work, many within the group, including Dodd's wife (Amy Adams) question if Freddie should be one of them.  The main dramatic focus is the relationship between Dodd and Freddie, or "Master" and "follower".  Despite some people (some within the cult itself) accusing Dodd of making his beliefs up as he goes along, Freddie follows his word completely.

And yet, we never quite sense the same devotion from Dodd back to Freddie.  That's because he sees him almost as an experiment, a tortured soul that he can test his pseudo-psychological techniques on.  The character of Lancaster Dodd is more or less a charming salesman, preaching his personal beliefs to anyone who will listen.  Hoffman plays him as such, with a big smile, and a sense of showmanship to appeal himself to people.  It's a wonderful performance, and becomes truly electric when he is acting alone with Phoenix as Freddie.  Their individual sessions together, as well as their confrontation in a jail cell are easily the high points of the film.  Whenever Hoffman and Phoenix are playing off one another, the movie is completely alive.  It's the rest of the time that things stumble just a little.  Not enough to completely hinder the film, but enough to make us wish we were watching the two leads play off each other again.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that there's just not a lot of solid material we can grab onto in The Master, outside of the main relationship.  The plot moves slowly and sometimes seems to be the last thing on Anderson's mind.  And the characters, outside of Freddie (the only character to get something resembling a backstory) are not really developed.  They're great when they're together, and in individual scenes that the screenplay gives them, but at the same time, most of them are enigmas.  One of the more curious characters is Dodd's wife, played by Amy Adams, who sometimes seems content to disappear into the background, and at other times seems oddly forceful.  I don't consider this bad writing, or Anderson not having an angle on the character.  It's just that she remains an enigma, and I would have liked a bit more depth added to her, as well as some of the other characters.

I can certainly see this being a polarizing movie, as this is not exactly the kind of movie that tries to reach out to its audience, and helps us enter the world of these characters.  Everybody is interesting, but they are intentionally kept at arm's length.  I enjoyed this approach at times, and found myself frustrated at others.  I guess that leads to my mostly positive, but somewhat mixed response to the film.  The performances, the look, and the core idea are fascinating, but there's very little to latch onto in terms of an emotional response.  This is a cold and distant movie, and don't consider that a complaint.  It's just the kind of movie that it is.  Whether or not it works for you I believe is a personal call.

 

The Master has already been greeted with glowing Oscar buzz, but frankly, I don't see it being remembered too strongly outside of Hoffman and Phoenix come Award time.  I personally see something like Argo having a more lasting impact in voters' minds when winter rolls around.  Nonetheless, I must still commend Anderson for making a very unusual and distant film that is very well done and that I enjoyed, but not as much as I thought I would.

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