Revisiting 'The Master': Challenging 2012 film isn't so bad after all

The Master

Some movies I adore instantly, others grow on me after a few viewings.

And then there are films that I come to admire if not quite enjoy.

P.T. Anderson's divisive 2012 film The Master (which seems to be very loosely based on Scientology) probably falls into that last category for me.

I was very disappointed by it when I first saw it. Mainly because I am a huge fan of Anderson's -- I had both loved and owned all of his previous films -- and the pre-release buzz had me stoked for a potentially shocking and thought-provoking masterpiece.

Once I saw the movie I definitely respected its craftsmanship and I found Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance to be extraordinary -- but the movie itself was too opaque and kept me at arm's length. I came in wanting to the love the movie and left thinking it was a movie that couldn't be loved.

While most of the critical praise was rapturous, audiences largely stayed away and the movie wasn't much of a player during awards season.

I must admit that I too had largely written it off until I read the phenomenal book Going Clear, which investigates the origins and modern practices of Scientology. While I knew Anderson and others took great pains to persuade viewers that his film was in no way an indictment or portrayal of that religion, the parallels are impossible to ignore.

For those of you unfamiliar with the movie, it's about a troubled, hard-drinking WWII veteran, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who becomes something of the pet project of an eccentric, but incredibly charismatic leader of a new religious sect called The Cause. The organization, while murky, seems to promote the ability to heal emotional and physical wounds through traversing time to contact past lives.

Now, upon second viewing I have come to like The Master a lot more than I did the first time. That said, I still have my quibbles. The first time I saw the movie I was incredibly alienated by Phoenix's incredibly mannered, mumbly lead performance. I think my irritation at his off-screen antics (his faux retirement from acting, etc.) probably colored my impression quite a bit. Now, I like what's he's doing more. He's very physical and unpredictable and it lends the film a real danger.

He is a nice counterpoint to Hoffman's largely in control "Master" -- although the late actor show's enough of the man's temper and insecurity to make him much more complex than an avuncular guru. Amy Adams also is terrific in a much-to-small part as Hoffman's totally dedicated wife.

Joaquin Phoenix in The Master

The film's first half is stellar, the set-up of Phoenix's bizarre, broken protagonist, his "processing" session with Hoffman (which has been compared to the Scientology process of auditing) and their worlds colliding all make for compelling drama.

But for me the film's second half goes off the rails a bit. Don't get me wrong I don't need my narratives to be nice and tidy but this film seems lost at a certain point where Phoenix and Hoffman's characters become estranged only to reunite in an odd, protracted scene where one of them serenades the other.

The first time I saw The Master I couldn't understand what Hoffman's character ever saw in Phoenix's.

He is a liar, a lout and something of a sex addict. But on second viewing I came to think that the Hoffman character truly wants to believe his own rhetoric and he sees Phoenix's character as his ultimate challenge. He thinks if I can break/mold him -- my philosophy actually works.

The arc of the Phoenix character doesn't work quite as well for me. He seems at times to be a brainwashed follower of "the Master" (otherwise known as Lancaster Dodd) and in another scene he is a true skeptic. Meanwhile a son of Dodd is introduced and he claims his father is "making it up as he goes along" but then later in the film he appears to have drunk the Kool-Aid as well.

And the final scene, which I won't spoil, calls into question everything that proceeded it -- and not really in a good way. Still, I was never bored watching this film and I'm willing to consider that with repeated viewings over time I will begin to appreciate it more.

I definitely recommend it as a piece of filmmaking that is actually trying to be about something and aims to be profound -- even if I think it falls just short of accomplishing that goal. Personally, I feel like Anderson did a far better job probing the mind of a deeply antisocial person in There Will Be Blood -- a masterpiece that wasn't particularly audience friendly but still hit the sweet spot.

Phoenix showed more humor and grace in Her and there can never be enough good things said about the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Even if the subject matter of The Master doesn't intrigue you, his work in the film is something to behold.

His death remains a tragic loss, not just to his friends and family, but to those of us who truly cherish great acting and challenging films.

For me, this is a challenging movie, one that I have issues with, but also one I can't outright dismiss as a failure.

At least, not anymore.