“One Battle After Another” is a weird movie. The film incorporates many different genres, namely comedy and drama. These complement each other well and make the movie work. It is unflinchingly unique and delves into some serious subject matters, but makes them funny, quirky and exciting without becoming a parody. While making them prominent, the movie does not beat you over the head with these issues and makes sure not to undersell anyone’s point of view. Director Paul Thomas Anderson does not disappoint, and the movie works in some very unexpected ways. Constant action, loud noises and hilarious scenes bring this movie to life.
The acting was the standout feature of the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio brings his A-game playing the role of a single dad just trying to get through life after going through a lot. Sean Penn delivers one of his most impressive roles, and he plays it well as a man who will go to any length to secure a higher position for himself. My favorite character, Sergio, played by the incredible Benicio Del Toro, steals the show. His collectedness and constant calmness work well to balance out the crazy nature of the movie, and more specifically, DiCaprio’s character.
One of the few weaknesses that this film falls victim to is that, at times, the characters feel underdeveloped. Motivations are fuzzy and not well thought out. While the actors are excellent in their roles, sometimes I found myself questioning why a character did something or acted a certain way. Many supporting characters are there to do just that: support. It feels like they are only included in the movie to facilitate the plot, and they don’t have much development to showcase that they are real people.
All in all, I found myself really enjoying the latest movie in Anderson’s historic catalog. Most aspects of the film were enjoyable, and I think that he handled some really important topics in the world right now very well. While some parts of the film fell flat, namely some of the characters and their motivations, as well as some plot points being left unfulfilled, the rest of the movie was excellent. I believe that this is Anderson’s strongest film, which is saying something, as he has such an extensive history and legacy of filmmaking. “One Battle After Another” was hilarious, heartfelt and definitely worth a watch.