There are certain movies that don’t leave the word of mouth station once they get released. They stay there until the end of the year awards discussion begins, and the Hollywood hot stove reaches its boiling point. In recent years, it’s been films like Parasite, Barbie, and Oppenheimer. You never stop hearing about them and their acclaim only increases as more eyes find it.
One Battle After Another, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, falls into that category, but the difference is that with this particular cinema darling, the word of mouth is just about air tight, as in there’s not a lot of negativity or flack surrounding it as December takes its first laps. In other words, even the most pessimistic critics really like this one and that pushes procrastination specialists like myself to finally fire up the remote and put it on.
Starring the once-again flawless Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, and the newcomer Chase Infiniti (whose name I couldn’t remember in the actual video above, sorry Chase!), this quirky drama with a moderate amount of dark comedy and sharp violence packs a cinematic punch. It’s hard to pin into a single genre, and it doesn’t disappoint with its originality.
The tale of the tape surrounds DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson, a former far-left revolutionary who has turned into a paranoid and reclusive pothead after his partner in crime and lover (Taylor) is arrested by their sworn nemesis, commanding officer turned Colonel Steven Lockjaw (an Oscar worthy Penn). When their daughter, Willa (Infiniti), is taken by Lockjaw, Bob has to come out of stupor and make himself meaningful again. He teams up with his friend and Willa’s Sensei (a hilarious Del Toro) to rescue his daughter all in the comfort of a bathrobe.
While the cast is great and the feel and writing are pinpoint, the MVP here is Anderson, who seems to be having a ton of fun telling a riveting story in the most punk rock manner possible. It’s lively, devilishly insidious to expectations, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The actors take it seriously enough, and embed their characters with a wayward yet focused multifaceted approach that keeps things moving and far away from boring. For a nearly three hour film, it moves well.
In order to find out if it truly matches the hype or not, click the link above. I love doing these short videos and mixing them with some writing. Best of both worlds. Please continue to support the Buffet newsletter, and thank you kindly.
