The Master

After World War II, a hedonistic ex-GI Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in with a charismatic self-help leader (Philipp Seymour Hoffman) known as The Master, and his constituents. The Master’s followers see Freddie as someone they can change for the better. But will Freddie, instead, be a detriment to The Cause? Some have speculated Hoffman’s character as being similar to an L. Ron Hubbard-style leader.

ClearPlay In Action!

Those familiar with the work of director Paul Thomas Anderson may anticipate the sexual explicitness and R-rated language of The Master. ClearPlay edits scenes of simulated intercourse, nudity, and auto-eroticism, as well as other crudities and debaucheries largely surrounding Freddie’s explosive and unpredictable character. Also cut are about 75 profanities, most of them the F-word and its derivatives. Even ClearPlayed, The Master is a grown-up film aimed at grown-ups.

Will I be a slave to The Master?...

No two ways about it, The Master is a difficult movie. Eschewing standard narrative style, the movie seems to meander, much like Freddie, adrift in meaninglessness. Even when he finds The Cause, Freddie’s “conversion” is more practical than spiritual. Viewers wanting easy, clear-cut stories will be frustrated, but those who love style and mesmerizing performances (Phoenix and Hoffman are astounding) may find The Truth in The Master.

Marty Nabhan - ClearPlay Cultist

Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity and language; 144 min; Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson