Paul Thomas Anderson directs Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams in this period drama where a WWII veteran drunkenly searches America for a place he’ll fit, and finds himself taken in by the charismatic leader of a gentile cult.

Choppy. Undefined. A series of fine scenes, and a few pointless ones. Two great performances but in the service of what? PTA assembled this from script ideas he couldn’t find a home for in other projects, great American novels he couldn’t afford to do a whole adaptation of. This bitty nature adds to the characters sense of displacement. Looks fantastic, wastes Amy Adams, compelling in fits and starts. They can’t all be winners, kid. Let’s call it a draw.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Capote (2005)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/