The MasterMovie Reviews

  • So-so Based on 6,604 reviews
    Breakdown:
  • Must Go!
    Written October 21, 2012

    treatment

    by

    Psichiatric treatment for those who didn't understand. To play such thing is excrutiating hard. Incredible that such a thing could be reproduced. How to rebuid the psi of a man.

    • 6 out of 7 found this review helpful.
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  • No
    Written September 27, 2012

    What was the point?

    by

    The Master is long and slow. Not much dialogue, but supposedly each line has mutliple meanings. I was bored, and never did figure out the overall point of the story. Not a movie I would submit anyone to, unless perhaps you have insomnia.

    • 7 out of 9 found this review helpful.
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  • Go
    Written September 22, 2012

    The Master

    by classich

    Interesting film if you correlate the character to L. Ron Hubbard. Very good acting but slow in parts. Would have liked to see more growth on the "Cause", but didn't come through at the end. However, did a good job of capturing the time period.

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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  • No
    Written September 21, 2012

    WHAT A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT

    by mjp1953

    The hype for this plodding piece of film is so wrong. Although the acting is great, save the overly melodramatic performance of Amy Adams who I love, there is simply no story there....2 1/2 hrs of my life I can never get back...

    • 14 out of 23 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written September 24, 2012

    The Master

    by moviehead_1212

    Great film! Fantastic performances. Joachim Phoenix gives an award worthy performance as does Philip Seymour Hoffman - and the rest of the cast is amazing also. The sound track is ground-breaking and heightens the drama in unexpected and crucial ways. This is the kind of movie that both entertains and makes people think! Would like to see a lot more movies of this caliber in the AMC theaters! Go AMC!
    Caro

    • 14 out of 23 found this review helpful.
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  • No
    Written September 25, 2012

    Director needs to go back to film school and learn the art of editing

    by

    I'm a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson's works: "Boogie Nights" is one of my particular favorites, and "Magnolia" has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. So... when I saw the ads for THE MASTER starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams as well as Joaquin Phoenix, I told myself,"I am SO going." I'd also seen a review on CBS Sunday Morning lauding the crafting of the piece.
    Little did I suspect that this was going to be a relentlesslybutt-numbing meandering on celluloid for over 2 hours. I would have been better off paying to PSH read the phone book -- at least I'd have a clue as to where that was going.
    Due to language and a lot of adult content, I do not think anyone under 18 should see this movie, and be warned, the soundtrack is extremely discordant and painful to the ears -- most likely intentional on the part of the director.
    I plan to see Amy's other movie "Trouble with the Curve," but I'm going to treat myself to "DOUBT" again to erase this one

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written September 23, 2012

    Save your popcorn for another movie

    by travelbear1231

    This is one of those movies that the critics love, the fans hate and it will win an Academy award. You can go now and suffer through it or watch it on DVD and fast forward through it next year although I am not sure it's worth that. Long, depressing, is there a plot? Acting is good and set design is great but I wonder if the actors could have wasted their time on a movie that had a plot and a story worth watching. Yuck!

    • 8 out of 11 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written September 27, 2012

    The Master is masterly

    by msaltz

    What a fabulous movie! Great cast with great acting. Really good story without a clear answer. It isn't often that ambiguity is a characteristic of films but it is in this one and that is all to the good. You are left to make up your mind about what is being presented but whether or not that means you've made up your mind about Scientology is something else altogether. Hooray.

    • 16 out of 27 found this review helpful.
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  • So-so
    Written September 17, 2012

    Most overrated film of the year

    by jdrishe

    What to say about this film....?

    To say the least, it was a letdown.

    After 30 seconds of just about every scene, I could not wait for the next scene to begin, in the hopes that it would be better (more entertaining, more thought provoking, anything!) than the current scene I was being forced to sit through.

    75% of the movie is close-up face shots with the camera. I understand the need to convey 'brainwashing' when Phoenix is listening to 'the Master' but as a viewer i'd like to have some idea of the setting when I'm watching. It tends to be an important part of telling a story.

    At every moment of 'oh I wonder where this is going to end up,' PTA let me to a dead end. Killing the exciting parts of the story and leaving me with the drawl that was 'The Master.'

    If it wasn't for brilliant performances from Phoenix and PSH, I'd rate this film much lower.

    • 12 out of 19 found this review helpful.
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  • Go
    Written September 29, 2012

    May not be for everyone but some fine performances from the cast...

    by

    First off, it is good to see Joaquin Phoenix back and he did an outstanding job playing this very troubled character in the movie. He physically became so thin for this character that I almost cringed at certain points seeing him so thin. Other than that, I think his performance was fantastic and this goes the same for Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I really think they will receive Oscar nominations for their work in this film. The rest of the cast was great as well. Overall I liked the movie and recommend it for anyone who wants to see some fine acting.

    • 12 out of 19 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written October 8, 2012

    The Master

    by jchristensen529

    This was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was incomprehensible. The acting wasn't bad, but it was impossible to figure out what was happening and why. There were numerous offensive and sexist scenes, the characters were unlikeable and their motives were impossible to figure out, and the movie was boring. It was also too long. I just sat there wishing it would be over. It is not suitable for anyone under 30, and boring for anyone over 30. DO NOT GO. It's horrible!

    • 6 out of 7 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written September 23, 2012

    AWFUL MOVIE...GREAT CAST

    by martingg

    A terrific cast in an awful movie!!!!...let's see how many times we can use the F word...too violent...too much sex...just wasn't necessary to the plot.

    I want my money back!!!!!

    • 17 out of 29 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written September 17, 2012

    Rivetting

    by Dystopika

    Not the expose of Scientology that many people were expecting but rather, as PTA does, this is a character study.Joaquin looks like a cat who's been forced to wear clothes. Go see this movie. Goodbye.

    • 68 out of 131 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written September 22, 2012

    I walked out of it

    by Crystalcatp

    It was not a good movie. The first five minutes, was horrible. I thought it would get better, instead it got worse. It is a really messed up strange movie. It got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and left. If they do nominate it for best picture, they are crazy, if it wins what a joke. You can see it yourself, but that is up to you. Waste of my money and mind.

    • 31 out of 57 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written September 22, 2012

    The Master

    by beniciajim

    Probably the most all-consuming movie I have seen in a long time. Hoffman and Phoenix were amazing The sound and XD enhanced every scene. The closeups of Hoffman-the way Phoenix used his body to complete his characterization of Freddie made me queasy and anxious,,,,I was there.

    During the sixties and seventies there were many "Masters:" having many of the same personality quirks of the Master. They too passed into anonymity.

    • 12 out of 19 found this review helpful.
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The Master Movie Reviews + Ratings

Fans say

So-so
6,604 fan reviews

Critics say

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Tweets About The Master

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heyimcamcook Just watched The Master. Not sure if I’ve ever walked away from a movie understanding this little of what I just watched.

6 hours ago.

pemartinezmatos Saw #TheMaster: Paul Thomas Anderson en estado puro. Trama compleja y de lectura difícil, toca muchos temas. No cuenta nada y lo cuenta todo

16 hours ago.

jayjohero The movie the master was so weird lol Gotta finish the movie soon

20 hours ago.

oliverrthornton Saw #gatsby yesterday. Maybe not the film the critics hoped for but full of incredibly iconic imagery. Lurhmann is the master of excess.

23 hours ago.

jdsarge91 Re-watched PTA's The Master. Still my favorite film of 2012 by a long shot and one of the most beautiful films ever made.

1 days ago.

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The Frontrunners - Amy Adams The Frontrunners - Amy Adams Fandango's Chief Correspondent Dave Karger interviews Amy Adams about her film 'The Master' in this episode of 'The Frontrunners.' More Films on Fandango's Awards Watch An inside look at Hollywood's race to the Oscars!