MOVIE REVIEW - The Master

There is a whole lot of Oscar buzz about the new drama new in theaters, The Master.

The Master is the story of a post WWII era where tons of military veterans are coming home from battle and are facing real struggles to make a return into society.   This is the story of Navy veteran Freddy Quell (Joaquin Phoenix).   He is a very disturbed and strange man returning from the war with tons of emotional trouble.  He is struggling mightily to re-enter the world when he, by accident meets a man that will change his life. 

He meets Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman).   Dodd is the leader of a group, or cult named The Cause.   You don't really know what they are.   Dodd and his troupe go from city to city trying to spread his word of some kind of spirituality, or thinking that is very "new age" based for 1950.   He has written a book, and notes on his theory of life and how to go through it.  But are they his words, or are they really the words and ideas of his background wife Peggy (Amy Adams)?  Given the fact that Dodd is an incredible egomaniac, and most people around him seem smitten with his so-called intelligence, he keeps up a good front and the subjects fooled.

Dodd sort of takes Quell in and uses him as a subject of some kind.   You come to know in time that he is simply trying to recruit more people into his group that he can trust.  But there are a whole lot of reasons that this is hard to follow at times And being honest and fair this movie seems a bit pointless at times.  The Master is going to go right by many people that are going to see it.  This movie reeks of elite movie making that really will go directly over many peoples heads.   Mostly because they don't really make clear where they are going. 

This will get tons of Oscar consideration for a few reasons.  First, it's the kind of movie Hollywood loves to pat itself on the back over.  Supposedly really smart, original, and artsy.   But the box office will speak for itself, and so will exit opinions of this movie. And also the performances of Phoenix and Hoffman. Both incredibly stellar.  The only group that will really love this movie are numerous critics that will try to show their knowledge of cinema, and a few movie goers on the east coast.  

But is it possible to have these two tremendous performances in a movie that you don't really care about, and is actually not the great of a movie?  And the answer is yes. They both are amazing, as where the movie is not. 

The Master is too long, pointless at times, and directionless virtually all of the time.   It focuses on The Cause and they do not explain what they really are, or what they really want.  You don't care about this movie at all.  Plus, there some very bizarre scenes in this flick that will leave you scratching your head.    There are rumors  and speculation of who fictionally The Cause is in this movie, but nothing definitive.  They would be better served to fess up in the movie, because in the end this just looks like a script that runs out of gas and more notably - guts.

The Master.  Two absolutely fantastic performances in a movie that is not.