One Battle After Another

⭐9.5/10

I feel like I've got somewhat complicated thoughts on this one. This movie, from Paul Thomas Anderson, is being touted as the greatest film of the last decade. I watched it opening night and loved it, but was also perplexed as to why it was getting such praise. It is fun and engaging, but it doesn't exactly seem as if it's trying to be a work of undeniable genius like There Will Be Blood or the like. But I will admit that I've been thinking about this movie all weekend, but also not sure if it's because I'm supposed to believe it's genius or because it actually is... 

Either way, this movie rocks. It is about Leonardo DiCaprio as a former American revolutionary who has a daughter and they get mixed up in trouble as his past still haunts him. That's not really the plot, but really all I want to say without giving too much away. But the thing that struck me was that this is a big budget action movie. PTA doesn't really make those... but clearly he should because he is good at it. 

I think the movie's best quality is the acting/ writing combination, great lines delivered by terrific actors. Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro will be duking it out for supporting actor this year, but my money is on Penn who will undoubtedly go down as an all-time classic villain, this gross combination of RFK Jr. and Pete Hegseth. 

Ah, but why would I compare them to very specific political figures, you wonder? Well I do that because this movie is super politically charged, completely unafraid to speak to the moment. It's super anti-Republican and super relevant. I guess that really does help it become the movie of the moment, and I appreciate that PTA took a quarter of a billion dollars from WB and then made a movie that will probably get them in trouble. This movie has a lot of Andor vibes, if Andor was grimier and funnier. 

Ah yes, funny! This movie is not a constant knee-slapper, but it is funny for sure. I cannot get certain lines out of my head, like Del Toro's "a few little beers" or Leo's "I am a weed and alcohol LOVER." This movie has great pace and momentum and is constantly entertaining. It's long, nearly 3 hours, but is never boring or being dragged out. 

I would also like to shout out some other performances, specifically Teyana Taylor, Chase Infinity and Regina Hall. I also suspect especially the first two will be heard from during award season. This movie is marketed as one for the boys, but this is a movie mostly about black women and these three give some amazing performances. I loved Infinity especially, some real chilling reactions. 

So yeah, just an awesome movie. It's fun, smart, funny, well shot, well acted. It's a movie I would recommend to most. And yet, for a movie of the generation, or even a ten for me, I would feel like I would need to be moved, something that gave me goosebumps or made me cry or think in unique ways. I never felt that in this movie. It's awesome and I loved it, and continue to think better of it every day, but it's juuuuust short of that masterpiece status for me. I came out of the theatre thinking 8, was thinking 9 after the next few days, and will bump it up to 9.5 after writing it out.  Surely it will be a 10 by Christmas.