Here at BPBS we always look forward to staff reviewer Matthew Passantino's "best of" articles, so when Matt decided to put together his personal ranking of Paul Thomas Anderson's filmography we were excited to see what he would come up with. See below for Matt's thoughts, along with callbacks to a few BPBS reviews of PTA films from years past.
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This weekend, prolific director Paul Thomas Anderson releases his 10th feature film. "One Battle After Another" has received nearly universal praise - including a four-star review from Big Picture Big Sound - and those who attended early screenings have dubbed the movie a masterpiece, and perhaps even Anderson's best work to date.
While the early hosannas could help drive people to theaters, it's a double-edged sword. The high burden of early praise leaves a movie open for the inevitable chorus of "It's by no means a masterpiece" (sheepishly raising my hand). Even so, it's exciting to see Anderson working in a completely different mode, while keeping some of the signature hallmarks of his filmography.
Anderson has often been compared to Robert Altman for his sprawling narratives and even more sprawling cast ensembles. Throughout his career, Anderson has paid reverence and acknowledgement to Altman, while creating his own distinct voice.
Devout supporters of the filmmaker will tell you he has never made a bad movie. When a fandom grows around a director, those participating often find it hard to kill their darlings because Anderson certainly has some unsuccessful movies to his name (show me a filmmaker that doesn't). But, when a new movie of Anderson's is released in theaters, it's a good time to sit up, take notice and see what he has to offer.
As with any list, the placements are near-meaningless and always fluid, but part of the fun is agonizing over which goes in the fifth spot and which one goes in the sixth. Below is a ranking of Anderson's 10 feature films:
10. Inherent Vice (2014)
Though it's not without its defenders, "Inherent Vice," adapted from the Thomas Pynchon novel, is a meandering bore of a movie. The stoner performance by Joaquin Phoenix offers the movie some spark, but the mystery at the center of the movie never comes alive. Even as a lesser Anderson film, the movie scored him an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Our reviewer Tom Fugali wasn't too keen on this one either when he checked it out during its initial release.
9. Licorice Pizza (2021)
"Licorice Pizza," which was released into theaters at the end of 2021 when the world was still living in a COVID-19 purgatory, was supposed to be one of Anderson's most personal films to date. Despite two strong performances by Cooper Hoffman (the son of Philip Seymour Hoffman, a frequent Anderson collaborator) and Alan Haim, the shaggy rhythm of the movie never serves it well. For something that was meant to be personal, every note of "Licorice Pizza" rings false.
8. The Master (2012)
This is a movie about the performances. There's a bit of a chilly remove to "The Master" that may keep some at an arm's length, but Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams deliver some of the best work of their careers. Anderson is a director all actors want to work with and he often has a way of getting the best out of them. That's no different with "The Master."
Prolific reviewer David Kempler "mastered" the art of damning with faint praise in his original review from 2012.
7. Phantom Thread (2017)
Anderson's gorgeously mounted "Phantom Thread" has a reliably strong central performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, a take-notice breakout turn from Vicky Krieps and sumptuous costume design by Mark Bridges (who won the Oscar for Best Costume Design), but Lesley Manville is this movie's secret weapon. She delivers a monologue, daring her brother (Day-Lewis) to start a fight with her with just the right steely precision that could stop anyone in their tracks.
Reviewer David Kempler didn't think this one measured up on its initial release. Reviewer/editor Lora Grady found it a bit more layered when she checked it out as part of the Oscars race in 2018.
6. Hard Eight (1996)
Any big name director's first movie is often considered to be their worst. If you look at anyone's Christopher Nolan rankings, "Following" is likely to be at the bottom (worse than "Tenet"? Absolutely not). "Hard Eight," which is Anderson's debut feature, gives the late, great Philip Baker Hall a wonderful leading performance. He's teamed up with John C. Reilly, who would go on to collaborate with Anderson a few more times.
5. One Battle After Another (2025)
The newest film in Anderson' filmography is already being labeled an instant masterpiece. While that might be a bit hyperbolic, "One Battle After Another" finds Anderson working in a register he hasn't quite explored yet. The movie features Leonardo DiCaprio as a father and former revolutionary, who needs to find his daughter before some bad people do. The movie can be thrilling, but does try to get its arms around a bit too much plot for its own good.
As noted above, BPBS's Stuart Shave would potentially put this one at the top of his PTA list.
4. Magnolia (1999)
"Magnolia" might be the movie where Anderson's ambition is so obviously on display. Released two years after "Boogie Nights," the sprawling narrative of "Magnolia" shows Anderson trying to prove his previous success wasn't a fluke. The three-plus hour movie occasionally feels the weight of its own ambition, but it's often hard to look away from.
BPBS co-founder Joe Lozito called it "easily one of the best of the year" in his 1999 review.
3. Punch Drunk Love (2002)
"Punch Drunk Love" may be Anderson working in a minor key, but he gets a major performance out of Adam Sandler. This was the first movie that really had people take notice of Sandler as more than his comedic persona. It's a weirder movie than you may remember, but it's also a softer film than expected from someone who is coming off "Magnolia."
Joe Lozito assessed the impact of this one and found it a bit lacking in his original review.
2. There Will Be Blood (2007)
So many directors try to make the next great American epic and this was Anderson's stab at it. Featuring a terrifying performance by Daniel Day-Lewis (which won him his second of three Oscars), "There Will Be Blood" is likely Anderson's true masterpiece.
Joe Lozito had plenty of words of praise plus a clever title pun in his in his original review.
1. Boogie Nights (1997)
At 26 years old, Anderson put together one of the best ensemble casts and transported viewers back to the 1970s-set porn industry. "Boogie Nights" is a quintessential movie about the rise-and-fall of an industry and its artists, while also being a fun hangout movie about found family. Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore were nominated for Oscars for their supporting turns, and Anderson garnered his first nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It might not come with the built-in importance of his other works, but "Boogie Nights" remains Anderson's most rewatchable film to date.
