Joaquin Phoenix

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Amy Adams

Rami Malek

Laura Dern

Jesse Plemons

Ambyr Childers

Madisen Beaty

Kevin J. O'Connor

Patty McCormack

Lena Endre

Barbara Brownell

Amy Ferguson

Jennifer Neala Page

Christopher Evan Welch

Mike Howard

Frank Bettag

Mimi Cozzens

Jillian Bell

Joshua Close

Martin Dew

Kevin J. Walsh

Brady Rubin

Jill Andre

Barlow Jacobs

David Warshofsky

Tom Knickerbocker

Zan Overall

Katie Boland

Lorelai Hoey

Price Carson

Sarah Shoshana David

Bruce Goodchild

Matt Hering

Dan Anderson

Andrew Koponen

Jeffrey W. Jenkins

Patrick Wilder

Ryan Curtis

Jay Laurence

Abraxas Adams

Tina Bruna

Kevin Hudnell

Hunter Craig

Ryder Craig

Rodion Salnikov

Emily Gilliam

Kody Klein

W. Earl Brown

Ariel Felix

Vladimir Velasco

John Mark Reyes

Brian Fong

Diane Cortejo

Leonida A. Bautista

Myrna De Dios

William O'Brien

Brigitte Hagerman

Charley Morgan

Gigi Benson

Liz Clare

Fiona Dourif

Audrey Finer

Megan Rose Fox

Baily Hopkins

Mari Kearney

Sarah Klaren

Ally Johnson

Brittany Kilcoyne McGregor

LaRain Ring

Kimberly Ables Jindra

Theo Crisell

Eban Schletter

Scott Rodgers

Melora Walters

Emily Jordan

Amanda Caryn Jobbins

Olivia Rosemarie Barham

Napoleon Ryan

AnnaCorey

Bill Blair

Jonny Greenwood

Leslie Jones

Amy Wells

Mark Bridges

Cassandra Kulukundis

Mihai Malaimare Jr.

Paul Thomas Anderson

Peter McNulty

David Crank

Jack Fisk

Paul E. Short

Joe Bucaro III

Chris Scarabosio

Graeme Stewart

Conner McKinley

Chuck Zlotnick

Wendy M. Craig

Paula Suhy

Matthew Wood

David Acord

Mark Ulano

Robert T. Chestnut

Kate Biscoe

Linda Cohen

Brendan Walsh

Garrett Warren

Phil Bray

Michael Semanick

Miia Kovero

Jillian Giacomini

Rudy Reachi

Daniel Lupi

Jim Krase

Bill Holmquist

Kevin Sellers

Cookie Lopez

JoAnne Sellar

Melody Levy

Adam Somner

John P. Goldsmith

Andrea Pino

Malcolm Fife

Michael Lantieri

Demelza Cronin

Megan Ellison

Aurora Bergere

C.J. Maguire

Germicka Barclay

Donna Marcione Pollack

Robert Wilson

Colin Anderson

Michael Bauman

Steve Slanec

Cheryl Nardi

Kim Foscato

Ted Schipper

Tom Massimini

Tsuyoshi Abe

Lloyd Barachina

Michael Kenner

Will Weiske

Mark Chadwick

Brian Scannell

Myke Schwartz

Mark Ginther

Gary Toy

Jeff Kunkle

Rex Reddick

Mark Aaron Wagner

Albert Chi

Tim Meredith

Jesse V. Johnson

Ruth De Jong

Jaime Lovell

Karen Ramirez

David Kiiskinen

Dan Brown

Zach Hudson

Patrick J. Statham

John W. Micheletos

Scott M. Anderson

Louis Visco

Juan Cisneros

Florencia Martin

Jay King

Eric Cross

Jose F. Barrios

David Perrone

Gregg Szabo

John Horning

Mike Bonnaud

Aaron Ali Tichenor

Drama

The Master

Annapurna Pictures

Ghoulardi Film Company

JoAnne Sellar Productions

United States of America

English

post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)

sexual obsession

religion

drifter

alcoholic

handjob

post war

cult leader

scientology

religious cult

charismatic leader

right hand man

1940s

past life regression

nude dancing

Modern self-indulgent rubbish. Too long. I gained nothing from watching this. It's nicely photographed, but that is a given in the 21st century. The acting is fine, but this is a review of the movie as a whole. Don't waste your time.

Filipe Manuel Neto

**It's a film for a fairly narrow audience and is very slow paced... too slow.**

Honestly, I expected more from this movie. A certain strong dramatic spark that really justified the time spent watching it. Unfortunately, it seems the only motivation for seeing the film is its criticism of the Church of Scientology, a criticism that, if you read a little about the church and pay attention, is not even implied.

Paul Thomas Anderson is a respected director, especially after the films “Magnolia” and “There Will Be Blood”. I'm not going to discuss that, not least because he's not a director I'm comfortable with (I think, counting this one, I've only seen two of his films). What matters is this film, and here, the director did a good job. It probably not the best of his career, there are very debatable options especially in terms of editing and rhythm, but it's enough.

The cast's work is even better. Joaquin Phoenix gives us an impeccable, intense and very dramatic work, even if it is totally surpassed by the charisma of Philip Seymour Hoffman, a totally accurate choice for the character, who required not only charisma but also leadership, affirmation and authority. The actor, who left us suddenly and quite prematurely, was rightly nominated for an Oscar here. Laura Dern and Amy Adams ensure the main presences in the feminine, and they do it safely, even if in a more discreet way.

On a technical level, the film has some very good points and others not so well developed: if on the one hand we have an excellent collection of sets and costumes, a good recreation of historical periods and places, an excellent cinematography and an enviable filming work, we also have a badly done edition, incapable of giving the film greater drama and some rhythm. I don't know if that was on purpose or not, what I do know is that the movie is disgustingly slow, dull and boring, with tons of lamely written dialogue and a lot of wasted time in between. I was left with the feeling that it would have been perfectly possible, in editing, to cut about half an hour of film without rigorously altering the meaning or running the risk of ruining the story.

And talking about editing invariably leads us to talking about the script. I am not and have never been a member of the Church of Scientology, so I feel free to see a film that openly criticizes it, and also a film that criticizes it more covertly, as is the case. What the film makes clear is the weight of a great leader's charisma for the growth of a cult, but that was something that seemed clear enough to me. There are also some passages in which the film suggests that Scientology (like the “Cause”) is a great hoax, but this is also apparently consensual among the common public, and is based to some extent on testimonies from former members of the church. Regardless, it is not a film that is capable of attracting the masses to cinema, it is a topic for a niche of people already interested in it and not for the general public. And that doomed the film to a tremendous financial failure, considering the capital the production spent on it.

Official MUBI Trailer

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A review by Pugwash

Written by Pugwash on Sat Mar 16 2013

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