Inherent Vice

Sometimes a movie is a little too weird for its own good. It starts out pretty straightforward. Joaquin Phoenix is a P.I. and a woman in trouble comes looking for help. The detours from the case are numerous and nonsensical. Some of them are hilarious, some of them are just out of left field. It’s beautifully shot and the period costumes are cool, but you’re not sure what you just saw at the end of it all. Josh Brolin as an angry, broke cop is the most memorable thing about this. Otherwise, the case doesn’t make sense. Even in the masterpiece of unsolvable puzzles, “the Dude” just wanted his rug back.