‘One Battle After Another’ is an Oscar favorite for a reason
‘One Battle After Another’ is an Oscar favorite for a reason
Leo DiCaprio shines, Sean Penn terrifies, and Benicio del Toro steals every scene in Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest.
I am by no means a Paul Thomas Anderson fanatic. His talent is undeniable, but he’s as capable of a miss as any other director in my view; “Licorice Pizza” fell completely flat for me, for example. But when I saw that “One Battle After Another” had arrived on HBO Max ahead of the Oscars, I was undeniably excited.
The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor as Bob Ferguson and Perfidia Beverly Hills, two members of the far-left revolutionary group the French 75. Years after they meet and become romantically entangled, their daughter Willa is taken by a corrupt military official who has been tracking them for years. It may stray a little too close to current news events for some, but the film is a darkly funny ride for all of that, and it was my favorite stream of the week.
Years after their whirlwind romance in the midst of bombings and robberies, Perfidia has left Bob and Willa for parts unknown. Now, a disgruntled dad whose paranoia often keeps his daughter from living a normal life, Bob clearly still hasn’t forgotten his revolutionary ways.
DiCaprio is his usual excellent self in the movie, infusing Bob with a twitchy, panicky desperation that manages to be hilariously funny or tensely anxiety-building, depending on the context of the scene. Anderson and DiCaprio know exactly when it’s time for Bob to be all business; the ability to transition so effortlessly is another credit to Leo’s skills.
I think my favorite performances in the film, however, were from Chase Infiniti as Willa, Sean Penn as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, and Benicio del Toro as Sergio St. Infiniti oozes a quiet desperation in each of her scenes, wanting to live a normal life while knowing all too well that her parents’ legacy makes that all but impossible. She’s been trained to be a warrior for justice, and all she really wants to do is spend a little time with her friends.
Penn is completely terrifying as Lockjaw, and every moment he’s on the screen feels like watching a volcano that is holding back a catastrophic eruption. Rage permeates Lockjaw, and Penn embodies it physically — even in scenes where his character is called upon for comic relief.
Of all of them, however, del Toro is my favorite. His character’s casual, carefree approach to serious, potentially life-threatening situations lifts the movie every time he’s in a scene, and keeps “One Battle After Another” from dipping into a too-serious place in the wrong moments. Without these comedic interludes, the film risks straying into dystopian nightmare territory, but to Anderson’s credit, he manages to walk a tonal tightrope throughout its runtime.
The film has been nominated for 13 Academy Awards, including acting nods for Del Toro, DiCaprio, Penn, and Taylor. After streaming the movie this week, it’s plain to see why Academy voters gave it so much love. Stream the movie on any HBO Max plan now before it takes home a few Oscars on March 15.
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