One Battle After Another Conquers the Critics

"The critical Establishment is all in on Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie, One Battle After Another. A loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Vineland and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the movie is being praised for accurately capturing the terrible, sinking feeling of being alive in 2025. The film has been a looming curiosity - it had a reported budget of $175 million, expensive given that no previous Anderson film has made over $100 million."

"In One Battle After Another, DiCaprio's ex-revolutionary named Bob Ferguson faces off against his old enemy, Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn. Their work is being praised as the best work they've given "in years." Meanwhile, performances from newcomer Chase Infiniti as Bob's daughter Willa, Teyana Taylor as Willa's mother Perfidia, and Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro as the couple's former co-conspirators are all lauded for their magnetism and tenderness."

One Battle After Another is a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, relocated to a present-day 2025 setting. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as ex-revolutionary Bob Ferguson, who confronts former enemy Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn. The film features newcomer Chase Infiniti as Willa, Teyana Taylor as Perfidia, and Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro as former co-conspirators. Critics praise the film for capturing contemporary anxiety and for Anderson's ambitious tonal and genre shifts. The film had a reported $175 million budget, despite Anderson's previous films never crossing $100 million. The film opened wide on September 26, bypassing the fall festival circuit including Venice, TIFF, and Telluride.

Read at Vulture