One Battle After Another — Review
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Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
One Battle After Another might just be Paul Thomas Anderson’s funniest film to date. It’s also arguably his most accessible and mainstream. The film channels the spirit of Thomas Pynchon’s writing style, leaning into paranoia and absurdism. While the narrative is loosely inspired by Pynchon’s novel Vineland, Anderson isn’t adapting so much as riffing, using the novel as a jumping-off point and creating something looser, more playful, and very much his own. It feels like out of all the aspects of the novel, he connected with the father/daughter storyline the most and branched off of that.
What emerges almost feels like Paul Thomas Anderson directing a Quentin Tarantino film, a madcap collision of Django Unchained meets Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. He balances tonal extremes with confidence and dexterity, blending outrageous comedy, clever satire, sharp political commentary, flashes of violence, and sudden moments of tenderness with precision. The outcome is a film that feels both anarchic and finely tuned. The cinematography is striking. Andy Jurgensen’s editing and Jonny Greenwood’s score add to the kinetic, propulsive energy, making even the most chaotic sequences feel purposeful and exhilarating.
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn are hilarious, reveling in the absurdity of their roles, but the women are the real heart of the film. Chase Infiniti is the standout, delivering a star-making performance that anchors the surrounding chaos. Teyana Taylor brings liveliness and intrigue, while Regina Hall adds grace and compassion, both elevating the narrative even with limited screen time.
Anderson’s gift here is pacing. At 162 minutes, the film is long, but it never drags. Each scene builds momentum, resulting in a work that feels sprawling yet tightly controlled. One Battle After Another may not be Anderson’s most profound film, but it is undeniably one of his most enjoyable, a reminder that art can be both thoughtful and wildly entertaining.
