What to stream: Watch one classic after another with films of Paul Thomas Anderson
Published in Entertainment News
Paul Thomas Anderson’s 10th feature film, “One Battle After Another,” hits theaters this week, some 29 years after his debut with “Hard Eight” in 1996. Each of his films could be considered a masterpiece to varying degrees, delving into the human condition, the history of this country and even the nature of creative practice via tales that span the breadth of the 20th century, and now with his latest film, beyond.
“One Battle After Another” is a politically revolutionary piece about what we pass on and the family values that shape our realities. Inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” this is Anderson’s second adaption of a Pynchon novel, following 2014’s “Inherent Vice.”
If you want to refresh yourself with Anderson’s oeuvre — which opens up new layers of itself upon every rewatch — here’s where to watch them all.
His debut, “Hard Eight,” stars Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly and a young Gwyneth Paltrow in a Vegas-set gambling drama. Stream it on Kanopy or rent it elsewhere.
Many would consider “Boogie Nights” Anderson’s breakout feature in 1997. This sprawling exploration of the world of 1970s porn production in the San Fernando Valley stars Mark Wahlberg, in a role that fundamentally altered his career trajectory, Heather Graham, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Reilly, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle and William H. Macy. Stream it on Paramount+ or rent it elsewhere.
Anderson’s 1999 opus “Magnolia” takes its inspiration from the interconnected narratives of Robert Altman, like “Short Cuts,” but the melancholy Los Angeles meditation that is “Magnolia” is a beast all its own, anchored by a never-better Tom Cruise and outstanding Hoffman. Rent it on all platforms.
After the epic “Magnolia,” Anderson pared it down with “Punch-Drunk Love” (2002), a sweetly absurdist comic love story, only 95 minutes long, starring Adam Sandler in a shockingly nuanced (for the time) performance, opposite Emily Watson. He plays a salesman who’s extorted by a phone sex worker, while also running a coupon scheme and falling in love for the first time. Stream it on Kanopy, the Criterion Channel, or rent it elsewhere.
In 2007, Anderson adapted Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel “Oil!” for “There Will Be Blood,” a staggering work of blood, soil and oil, and the cracked dream of American manifest destiny. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano, “There Will Be Blood” is one of the definitive films that drives at the heart of the American character. Stream it on Kanopy or rent it elsewhere.
Similarly, Anderson’s 2012 film “The Master,” loosely inspired by L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, examines the cultish inclinations in this country, and the desire for purpose in the postwar era. Hoffman co-stars as Lancaster Dodd, the leader of a self-help cult called the Cause, while Joaquin Phoenix co-stars as Freddie Quell, a Navy vet who falls under his spell. Stream it on Prime Video, Kanopy, Tubi, the Roku Channel or rent.
In 2014, Phoenix starred in Anderson’s “Inherent Vice,” as a shaggy dog L.A. private investigator who gets caught up in a kooky conspiracy that has tendrils throughout the city, as he follows his nose about the goings-on of his ex-girlfriend. Katherine Waterston, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Benicio del Toro and more co-star. Stream it on Prime Video or rent.
Anderson then reunited with Day-Lewis for “Phantom Thread,” a ravishing fashion film set in 1950s London, following the unique relationship between a couture dressmaker, Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis), and a new fit model, played by actress Vicky Krieps. Stream it on Netflix or rent elsewhere.
Finally, Anderson returned home to Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley for “Licorice Pizza” in 2021, starring his late collaborator Hoffman’s son, Cooper Hoffman, as a young hustler and entrepreneur in 1970s L.A., who connects with an older woman, played by Alana Haim, of the band Haim. This charming hangout flick is a deeply personal project for Anderson, as most of his films seem to be, reflecting on his personal history, beliefs or creative process. Stream “Licorice Pizza” on Prime Video or rent elsewhere.
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