Not Quite a Review: Phantom Thread

It's been a while since I finished a movie so unsure of whether or not I liked it, let alone if I would recommend it.  Before I get any further I should make it clear that I didn't dislike this movie, I think I liked it actually, but just don't know exactly why.  So, my general thoughts before getting into some details, spoiler free of course, is that I would tentatively recommend it.  From a technical, character, and acting standpoint, it's simply great.  From a story length perspective, it is a little more complex.

I was inspired to watch this film after seeing it ranked in a lot of top 10 films of the year lists, often within the top 5 of those.  In my usual fashion, I went in as cold as that, basically just knowing the title.  Starting it up, I first noticed that it is a fairly long film, just over two hours, so I was somewhat expecting an intricate, possibly complex, narrative.  With a name like Phantom Thread it seemed appropriate.  What I got was...not quite that.  This movie isn't so much driven by a plot, but more of a character study with smaller, somewhat isolated, plot points acting as catalysts for character interactions more than anything else.  The driving force is always the two primary characters and their relationship, and their relationships with the people around them.  As a character study, then, the entire film is dependent on, you guessed it, the characters.

For as eccentric and often seemingly selfish and rude as the primary character often is, he's never anything but engaging.  Even in very mundane things, his personality and eccentricities keep your attention to the point where I never really minded that there was no proper plot going on.  There is a rising sense of tension through the film, one that starts rather slow but builds to a great payoff and turn right as things come to an end.  It only bothered me upon reflection that the little plot lines brought up, or things implied to make a return, sometimes didn't.  In the process of watching, though, it felt natural.  Things happened to these characters, but it wasn't the thing itself that was important, but how it affected them and how they interacted with the other main characters.  If you're one to get stuck on details, or feel that everything in a movie needs a direct payoff or purpose, it may leave you with nagging questions.  Ultimately, however, the film really only wants you to care about, and pay attention to, the two leads.

This leads me back to my original statement where I don't really know where I stand on this film.  I can't call it spectacular or unmissable, but it is far from poor in any sense of the word.  Depending on what you're expecting, Phantom Thread will land in a very different place for you.  As a character piece, I don't know if I've seen better.  As a piece of fiction, it leaves something to be desired in terms of plotting.  I would normally discount that second criticism because it really isn't applicable to the type of film this obviously wants to be, but for the time commitment being asked for, I do think it has a somewhat negative impact.