The MasterMovie Reviews


  • So-so Based on 6,648 reviews
    Breakdown:
  • Oh No!
    Written September 22, 2012

    Actors: Great! Movie: redefines the word incoherent...

    by Mightyquick

    Last night, I went to see the movie "The Master". Good Grief, what a waste of time and money. It's not like Joaquin Phoenix or Philip Seymour Hoffman did a bad job. They were superb. But you'd have to be out of your mind to say it had a plot or storyline. It's as if someone were to take a single chapter out of 20 books of different genres, and put them in a folder and make a movie of THAT. This movie replaces the word "incoherent" because it is a better, more graphic representation. My wife fell asleep 2 or 3 times in it. I kept cutting my eyes over at her to see if she wanted to leave, lol... At the end of the movie (One the more welcome moments I've had recently) the entire audience was looking at the screen for a pregnant few seconds, then we all shook our heads and laughed softly as if to say "you've got to be f**king kidding me...". Then silently we all stood and filtered out.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Go
    Written September 25, 2012

    Riveting, Thought Provoking ? But NOT for everyone

    by moviesrock30

    I totally get the negative reviews; however, in a way, they are what the movie is about. We each have our own filters which we see the world thru. The Master has you see the world thru the filters of Joaquin Phoenix?s character: Freddie Quell ? and it is often frustrating and painful and embarrasing to watch. But you see what kind of devastation our filters and our addictions can cause in our life. You also get to see a snapshot of an earlier time in American History and in the history of a cult. The Master is thought provoking and at times hard to sit thru but as nwportbeach?s review says: it will linger in your mind continually after walking out of the Theatre?. If you go to this movie expecting to see Scientology or cults in general bashed or to be entertained in some other way ? Don?t GO! Stay away! It is not for you. But, if you go to see master filmmaking at it best and some amazing, heart-rendering performances - this is your movie!

    • 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written September 30, 2012

    Master

    by areyes1010

    Although the performances given by Hoffman and Phoenix were superb, the movie was boring, non engaging, and over the top. Very disjointed. Character development and follow through was lacking.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written September 23, 2012

    Horrendous

    by sfgirl777

    While some people will think good acting, it in fact has a horribly disconnected plot that is disconnect and not cohesive. No redeeming value in this movie.

    • 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written September 30, 2012

    The Master

    by Jphil1

    This movie is not good. The acting is ok but the storyline and content is bad. There were people that walked out 1/2 hour into the movie. After the movie a group formed outside the theater talking about how the movie was bad and a waste of 2 hours. I have never seen that before. I would wait til the DVD if you really want to see this movie.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written September 22, 2012

    The Master

    by robertjweiss

    To quote Harry Chapin's brother: "Harry, it sucks!" Perhaps The Master ranks in the top 3 worst movies we have seen (and we review movies as a hobby). We felt embarrassed for the 2 lead actors working so diligently with so little material.

    Boring, disjointed, illogical and, basically, the movie went no where. Character development was extremely poor. The score overwhelmed the movie - inappropriate in numerous scenes.

    Photography, however, was excellent.

    Paul Thomas Anderson's work was a major disappointment!

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • So-so
    Written October 25, 2012

    Still wondering

    by ITCHICK68

    I was very optimistic about The Master. It has incredible character actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams. However, I am still very confused about what the point was. Was the point the bizarre friendship between Joaquin Phoenix's character and Philip Seymour Hoffman's character? Was the purpose to show the influence of the "cult of personality"? I felt that Amy Adams gave a bit of a chilling, dead on performance and I enjoyed watching her. I felt that the acting was great, but in terms of where I was supposed to be going as an audience member, I am still in the car, waiting on a destination.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written September 21, 2012

    The Master of what?

    by adamsnyc

    Let me state that I love PTA. Have absolutely loved all his movies and was hoping to love this one too. It was nicely shot but so overacted it was hard to believe. I felt like I was watching a mockumentary of a method acting class. The music by Johnny Greenwood was also overwrought and distracting. Huge Disappoinment

    • 10 out of 16 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • No
    Written September 23, 2012

    waste of time

    by melonda

    I was so hopeful about this movie because of the outstanding cast and I was very disappointed. The movie made no sense, there was no great conclusion that pulled it all together, it was confusing and unsettling - all in all, a waste of time.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written September 22, 2012

    The Master

    by

    WOW...........great actors but the movie is slow...pointless......weird.........I like thought provoking movies...but all I can say is: I want my $$ back and the 2.5 hours of my life back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WASTE OF TIME.

    • 10 out of 16 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • No
    Written September 23, 2012

    the Master

    by harris172

    The master was masterful at putting me to sleep. Acting was very good, but the story was hard to follow, even knowing what the story was supposedly about. Maybe i'm just dumb?

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written September 30, 2012

    the master

    by netherwitton

    Terrible, overlong bore, actors were great but underused. They will get Oscar nominations as they were faultless and believable, the story contrived claptrap, just like the Scientology it mirrors.

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Oh No!
    Written September 23, 2012

    Really???

    by steady

    My wife and I saw it, wasted our money. I expect to be moved emotionally by a movie, either high or low. This really was a straight-liner... and I mean that in the most negative of ways!

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Go
    Written November 14, 2012

    Best movie I've seen in a while...

    by MG1960

    Visually striking, but even more I couldn't look away for fear I'd miss some nuance of the characters. I hope lots of smart people see it because I want to talk about it!

    • 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No
  • Go
    Written September 27, 2012

    A PAINFUL JOURNEY DEPICTING THE HEALING OR DESTRUCTIVE POWERS OF A CULT. ACADEMY AWARD PERFORMANCES BY JOAQUIN PHOENIX AND PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN.

    by Peneflix

    Masterful, brilliant performances imbue this torturous saga of self-discovery; a struggle to chastise demons, doubts, destroying one's mental, psychological, physical path to health and inner peace...

    Joaquin Phoenix, in a role, likely never to be repeated, is "Freddie Quell" suffering from post-traumatic?stress-disorder, largely undiagnosed after World War II; a veteran of the Pacific front, he is a misfit, volatile, alcoholic, working as a department store photographer in 1950. Phoenix in his every gesture, smile, walk is frightening, illuminating in depicting Freddie's paranoia and combustibility; he shrinks, getting thinner, skeletal as as his psychosis deepens throughout the film...

    THREE STARS & 1/2 STARS!!!

    ***For full review please visit peneflix(dot)com!!!

    • 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
    • Was this helpful to you? 
    • Yes
    • No

The Master Movie Reviews + Ratings

Fans say

So-so
6,648 fan reviews

Critics say

Must Go! See all critic reviews

Tweets About The Master

70% positive
Join the conversation

rayneholde there were also some fine moments with gila-gila, like the mega movie series by long. this guy was the master of parodies back in the days

8 days ago.

Beeeblebrox Was die Weinstein Company so ins Kino bring: The Master, Django Unchained, The Grandmaster, Only God Forgives & Scary Movie 5 (!)

8 days ago.

_JustAGirrl If the master of disguise was the only movie I could watch for the rest of my life I wouldn't complain

9 days ago.

Oldy86 Wow! The master was unreal! Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman n amy Adams giving 3 of best performances I've seen in a films all year!

9 days ago.

NverSatisfied1 Don't ever watch the movie The Master. Worst thing I have watched all the way through in a long time.

10 days ago.

The Master Featured Trailers + Video Clips

Watch All Videos

Exclusive Features

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!