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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256 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

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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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Jennifer Bisset

CNET

The 2012 character drama, dealing with a world recovering from World War II, is a poetic epic.

Apr 20, 2023

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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

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Audience Member

Wow. I literally can't believe anyone rated this movie better than maybe 2 stars- at the most. I own a lot of PTA's movies and have seen all except this and PT. SO glad I didn't buy this first, I was going to. This movie was so long/ and so boring/ and so pointless. This is one of those movies where people like everyone involved so they say stuff that simply isn't true. The performances were great, why wouldn't they be, but the subject matter was truly horrendous. I think it's a testament that this BOMB= 4.4 million- at the box office. I didn't love Inherent Vice much either, which I also own. This is like a typical netflix made movie where you sit and wait for it to get good- and you do that until the credits start rolling. (Oh, I DID like Licorice Pizza though, that I'll buy- this I won't and just call it an outlier)

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/13/24

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Aender S

Awesome performance by Joaquin Phoenix and also by Philip Seymour Hoffman, but it's just their acting that elevate this film. Otherwise it's oddly paced.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

Full Review

Lena T

Joaquin Phoenix' performance is amazing and really drew me in for the first half of the movie, but it stretch out for way too long and I just wanted it to be over about half-way through it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/24

Full Review

Alec C

Sometimes to find purpose in your life is to embrace yourself or find yourself a master! Freddy Quell is a troubled veteran who is drawn into The Cause by the charismatic Lancaster Dodd, which sparks an invigorating and disturbing connection between the two of them. In the context, it's hard to tell who's being genuine or making things up, making it an intense analysis of the human psyche and an intriguing story!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

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Audience Member

I didn’t really get the ending but phoenix and hoffman were fun to watch. A-list cast

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/12/23

Full Review

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Paul Thomas Anderson

Director

Joaquin Phoenix

Freddie Quell

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Lancaster Dodd

Amy Adams

Peggy Dodd

Laura Dern

Helen Sullivan

Jesse Plemons

Val Dodd

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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: Joanne Sellar, Annapurna Pictures, Ghoulardi Film Company
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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