I don't understand Paul Thomas Anderson movies

Submitted by Firnen9 t3_11bw9sh in movies

For some reason I enjoy them very much. But I don't get these stories, I don't grasp the purpose of most scenes, I have trouble making sense of characters behaviour very often.

My favourite PTA film is Licorice Pizza for whatever reason. I can't really say what is the core of that story. Is it portait of 1970s America accentuated by coming of age story and toxic relationship of two young people? Is it story about what it means to be grown-up? I can't really say.

I even loved Inherent Vice. Out of all his works this one is a total trip for me, and I totally can't even say what was it about, what themes or messege does it convey...

Basically when I watch his movies I'm like "I dunno what am I seeing but I like it a lot". No other director has that effect on me.

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Charlie_Wax t1_ja09c29 wrote

I think PTA is a much better director than writer, if I'm being honest. As a writer, he's a bit of an adventure. Some great scenes, but also very indulgent and uneven. You just aren't allowed to criticize him because he's been anointed as a film god already. Critics will look at his movies like a Rorschach blotter and find reasons to convince themselves it's brilliant.

As for Licorice Pizza, I think that's one of his stronger movies. My interpretation is that it's an honest love story compared to the typical Hollywood romances that present an idealized version of it. The Alana character meets a sequence of male archetypes (the macho man's-man Penn character, the "cool" swinging Cooper character, and the "virtuous" politician Safdie character who's living a lie). After sniffing around these men, she opts for the lowly Gary. Gary is ostensibly the least impressive of these men, but also the most genuine and caring. I can't say what PTA's intentions were, but my own interpretation is that the movie is about how real love may not resemble the idealized Hollywood version people are trained to expect.

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nuckingfuts73 t1_ja09el1 wrote

Interesting, because PTA is by far my favorite director and I can’t stand Inherent Vice or Licorice Pizza.

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Earthwick t1_ja0au8l wrote

His movies are either great or just a bit away from being good to me. The charecters do make weird decisions, there's always some deus ex machina moment that isn't necessary, and I'm generally left thinking what was the point of any of this? At least I'm thinking about it when it's over though. So many movies end and your just like " well that was fun but it's over and gone now."

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WeDriftEternal t1_ja0bre5 wrote

>Basically when I watch his movies I'm like "I dunno what am I seeing but I like it a lot". No other director has that effect on me.

David Cronenberg and his son Brandon Cronenberg (who recently released Infinity Pool) both also use that type of filmmaking style, although they use it very differently. Like a world different. Might want to check them out if you want to get the same feeling

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SELEVKID t1_ja0fjzs wrote

Agree completely. His movies hit you in the subconscious. And that’s okay.

Anything goes in art, not every film needs to be understood or summed up in a paragraph. And not every film needs to use similar structures. I think it’s really special that he gets to make these films even though they don’t make much money. History will look back on him fondly IMO.

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SELEVKID t1_ja0g0wc wrote

Replying to Charlie_Wax (#2,005,654)

Maybe indulgence and unevennes is his style. He manages to have such a strong effect on the viewer, that makes him a good writer in my opinion. No need to box him in to some accepted standart of writing.

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VibrantLake t1_ja0h9ky wrote

Magnolia is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, There Will Be Blood one of the best, he's a weird one for me

LOL, dear PTA stans not even PTA likes Magnolia

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ryan31598 t1_ja0kbvy wrote

He said on a podcast (forgot which one) that he doesn’t write a movie with a theme or purpose in mind, he instead writes about “the facts” of what happened or what would happen if these stories happened in real life.

Which might explain why sometimes it’s hard to grasp the purpose and meaning of his films. I love the master but still don’t have an idea of what the film is ultimately trying to say

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BeginningAppeal8599 t1_ja0w8ar wrote

That's why I don't try to overanalyze the films I like. I have the same reaction to Altman films. He's a major inspiration for PTA.

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siiilenttbob t1_ja0y0x3 wrote

Replying to VibrantLake (#2,006,951)

I could see him having trouble reliving Magnolia. It's a memorial for his father who died of cancer and also a tribute to his ex, Fiona Apple. I wouldn't want to put myself in that frame of mind again if I were him.

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Ccaves0127 t1_ja1aaf2 wrote

In my mind, PTA makes performance pieces. He likes to create characters and put them in all kinds of situations to see how they'd react. A consistent theme is people who are lonely and have some sort of unhealthy attachment to something other than another person. He makes love stories but the other person is replaced with something more philosophical. I like seeing the people being put through the ringer, being put in horrible situations and seeing how they have to adapt to get out of it.

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meatwad90210 t1_ja1vp19 wrote

I love his first 5 movies very much. Then his most recent movies, I just don’t get em.

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_PutneySwope_ t1_ja345dz wrote

Inherent Vice - A maritime insurance policy that says some objects have risk in virtue of themselves, a china plate is brittle and can break, chocolate can melt.

Its about a person trying to understand how the world has changed through his ex-old lady (Shasta Fey)

The conspiracy is real and happening, but is it a hidden?

‘Hey man thats the golden fang youre rippin off man, the spooky outfit that kills people!?!’

‘Thats according to your own delusional system.’

The whole film is about a hippy detective during the 70s. All the information he gets he has to filter out the information through his interlocutors worldview.

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genuxo t1_ja37ik4 wrote

I guess in some ways they are just drug induced stories without too much meaning or even nonsensical. But he is a hell of a filmaker, if I watch Phantom Thread I can get totally engaged in that strange, abusive and romantic relationship within that fancy world which is shot so beatifully.

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twothrone t1_ja5m33s wrote

PTA movies are generally narreted by visuals. He likes to use the screen as his canvas. So generally its a personal journey like seeing a real art piece. For exapmle if you see a bird in a oil painting and consider it as a bird drawn by artist but for a troubled soul it can resemble as an encapsulation of freedom. I think he is one of the best directors that can be considered creating true art. So its normal that you feel like you dont understand them.

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