The Master
Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II.
What critics thought
The Master earned widespread critical admiration on release, with the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman treated as near-undeniable, but a vocal minority found Anderson's deliberately opaque structure more frustrating than rewarding — a division that never fully resolved. Its reputation has only grown with time, landing atop multiple decade-end critics polls, though general audiences have remained cooler than the critical establishment.
“It's a feisty, contentious, deliberately misshapen film, designed to challenge and frustrate audiences looking for a clean resolution. Just because it's over doesn't mean it's settled.”
Scott Tobias·The A.V. Club
“fabulously well-acted and crafted, but when I reach for it, my hand closes on air. It has rich material and isn't clear what it thinks about it. It has two performances of Oscar caliber, but do they connect?”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“The Master is Paul Thomas Anderson with the edges sanded off, the best bits shorn down to nubs.”
Calum Marsh·Slant Magazine
“the performances by Phoenix and Hoffman are studies in contrast. Phoenix carries himself with a jagged, lurching, simian-like grace, while Hoffman gives Dodd a calm deliberateness. Both actors have rarely been better in the movies.”
Peter Rainer·The Christian Science Monitor
“Yet, for all of The Master's laudable elements, it falls short of greatness for one simple reason: the storytelling is unspectacular.”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews
Accolades
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
Paul Thomas AndersonDirector
Joaquin PhoenixFreddie Quell
Philip Seymour HoffmanLancaster Dodd
Amy AdamsPeggy Dodd
Rami MalekClark
Laura DernHelen Sullivan
Jesse PlemonsVal Dodd
Ambyr ChildersElizabeth Dodd
Madisen BeatyDoris Solstad
Kevin J. O'ConnorBill White
Patty McCormackMildred Drummond
Lena EndreMrs. Solstad
Barbara BrownellMargaret O'Brien
Jonny GreenwoodComposer
Mihai Malaimare Jr.Cinematography
Barry IdoineCinematographyFrom the studio
The Master
Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II.
What critics thought
The Master earned widespread critical admiration on release, with the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman treated as near-undeniable, but a vocal minority found Anderson's deliberately opaque structure more frustrating than rewarding — a division that never fully resolved. Its reputation has only grown with time, landing atop multiple decade-end critics polls, though general audiences have remained cooler than the critical establishment.
“It's a feisty, contentious, deliberately misshapen film, designed to challenge and frustrate audiences looking for a clean resolution. Just because it's over doesn't mean it's settled.”
Scott Tobias·The A.V. Club
“fabulously well-acted and crafted, but when I reach for it, my hand closes on air. It has rich material and isn't clear what it thinks about it. It has two performances of Oscar caliber, but do they connect?”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“The Master is Paul Thomas Anderson with the edges sanded off, the best bits shorn down to nubs.”
Calum Marsh·Slant Magazine
“the performances by Phoenix and Hoffman are studies in contrast. Phoenix carries himself with a jagged, lurching, simian-like grace, while Hoffman gives Dodd a calm deliberateness. Both actors have rarely been better in the movies.”
Peter Rainer·The Christian Science Monitor
“Yet, for all of The Master's laudable elements, it falls short of greatness for one simple reason: the storytelling is unspectacular.”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews
Accolades
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
Paul Thomas AndersonDirectorJoaquin PhoenixFreddie QuellPhilip Seymour HoffmanLancaster DoddAmy AdamsPeggy DoddRami MalekClarkLaura DernHelen SullivanJesse PlemonsVal DoddAmbyr ChildersElizabeth DoddMadisen BeatyDoris SolstadKevin J. O'ConnorBill WhitePatty McCormackMildred DrummondLena EndreMrs. SolstadBarbara BrownellMargaret O'BrienJonny GreenwoodComposerMihai Malaimare Jr.CinematographyBarry IdoineCinematography