The Master

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The Master

R

Released Sep 14, 2012

2h 16m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

85%

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257 Reviews

62%

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50,000+ Ratings

Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled, boozy drifter struggling with the trauma of World War II and whatever inner demons ruled his life before that. On a fateful night in 1950, Freddie boards a passing boat and meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the charismatic leader of a religious movement called the Cause. Freddie tries hard to adhere to Dodd's weird teachings and forms a close bond with his mentor, even as other members of Dodd's inner circle see him as a threat.

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Critics Consensus

Smart and solidly engrossing, The Master extends Paul Thomas Anderson's winning streak of challenging films for serious audiences.

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J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

The main thing is that The Master is so unlike anything else in its seriousness and so admirable in its vitality that one has to support it.

Feb 25, 2019

Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

It is all so enigmatic and underwritten I felt rather shut out. A 'challenging' film is one thing, but one that actually slams the door in your face is quite another, as well as rude.

Sep 1, 2018

Full Review

Nick Pinkerton

Sight & Sound

Towering standalone moments all, they are certainly impressive when first encountered, though they wobble perilously the longer one looks at them...It isn't a great film - but it has a great film rattling around inside it.

Apr 9, 2018

Full Review

Fico Cangiano

CineXpress Podcast

The electricity between actors Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman is off the charts in this complex study of power, loyalty and contradictions. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4.5/5

Mar 28, 2025

Full Review

Gianmarco Farfán

Cinencuentro

An intense, thoughtful and harsh film that shows the contradictions between people with a certain degree of power and those who have no power at all. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 17, 2024

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Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

In lesser hands, The Master might proceed as a satire of Scientology, the predatory charlatanism inherent to cults or organized religion and spiritual movements writ large. But Anderson...keeps the film rooted in incisive, character-driven storytelling.

Jul 16, 2024

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thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, o filme tem uma história desinteressante, mas as atuações do Joaquim phoenix e do Philip seymour Hoffman dão um salvada no filme, as cenas do filme são meio fracas e o elenco em si tenta ajudar mas não consegue.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/10/25

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Steve S

Favorite movie of All Time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/24/24

Full Review

Derek D

I love Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Joaquin Phoenix- and the acting here is great. But other than that this movies ended and I was left wondering “what the f**k did I just watch?” … sure there’s some themes and thoughts to be had, but ultimately this movie just starts with nothing and ends with nothing.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/14/24

Full Review

Isa B

A uniquely beautiful and completely platonic love story between two friends, Freddie Quell and one Lancaster Dodd, the creator of a religious movement, called "The Cause" in this film. Quell is a veteran of the second world war and suffers from the residual effects of that experience. Their collective journeys intertwine and creates the most unlikely of friendships. The acting in the film is otherworldly. The original score and overall sound design are spectacular. Paul Thomas Anderson deserves all the praise for bringing his written vision to life in this marvelous motion picture, The Master. I highly recommend. 94/100

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/08/24

Full Review

Ronald H

It's amusing to see all of the critics obsequiously praising this film, mainly because they're terrified of being unhip. This film communicates virtually nothing. It has not one singe likeable character. It chronicles aberrant human behavior, but it refuses to take a position on it. It's loosely based on the activities of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard conned a lot of people into following him. Likewise, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson has conned a lot of people into believing that he's a brilliant filmmaker. This is one of the most meaningless films I have ever seen. The only message I got from it was "If you don't like this movie, it's because you're too stupid to understand it." Well, guess what? I'm not stupid. I'm discerning. And I recognize pretentious crap when I see it.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/26/24

Full Review

Laurian D

I only managed to finish this thanks to Phoenix's solid perfomance. He's always impressive when it comes to playing troubled characters, that's his thing. This movie had massive potential but the second half really drags and ends up going nowhere. Some critics tried to find poetry here, but there's actually no hidden depth or message, in fact it feels quite unsure about its direction. Instead of being the wake up call it could and should have been, it's quite ambiguous and shy, refusing to really dwelve into the destructive world of spiritual con men and really condemn it. Too bad.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

Full Review

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Paul Thomas Anderson

Director

Joaquin Phoenix

Freddie Quell

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Lancaster Dodd

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Helen Sullivan

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Synopsis

Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled, boozy drifter struggling with the trauma of World War II and whatever inner demons ruled his life before that. On a fateful night in 1950, Freddie boards a passing boat and meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the charismatic leader of a religious movement called the Cause. Freddie tries hard to adhere to Dodd's weird teachings and forms a close bond with his mentor, even as other members of Dodd's inner circle see him as a threat.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Producer: JoAnne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison
Screenwriter: Paul Thomas Anderson
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Ghoulardi Film Company, Joanne Sellar, Annapurna Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Nudity|Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 14, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.2M
Runtime: 2h 16m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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