The word “unfilmable” was practically invented to describe the work of reclusive literary genius Thomas Pynchon. His novels — “Gravity’s Rainbow” and “The Crying of Lot 49” –among others, feature dense plotting, allegorical whimsy, and are stuffed so full of characters that any screenwriter stupid enough to attempt an adaptation must be suicidal. The Terrence Malick of letters’ latest, “Inherent Vice,” published today by Penguin, has the potential to be Pynchon’s only brush with Hollywood other than his 2004 cameo on The Simpsons. The Wall Street Journal reports:
“His latest offering, ‘Inherent Vice,’ a noir-like novel set in Los Angeles at the end of the 1960s, is being billed as his most accessible novel to date. Landing three years after his 1,085-page epic ‘Against the Day,’ the 384-page book has been labeled a novella by literary bloggers. The Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles is handling film rights . None of Mr. Pynchon’s previous complex, postmodern novels have been adapted to the screen.”
Not having read the novel yet, it certainly appears to be more approachable than his earlier work (though a recent New York magazine review hated it).
“Inherent Vice” follows a private detective uncovering a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer in drug-kissed 1960s Los Angeles. Many reviewers have even drawn comparisons to the psychedelic noir of “The Big Lebowski.” To say Pynchon could have been influenced by the Coen’s 1998 film wouldn’t be too far fetched considering his obsession with pop culture and fluency in film language as evidenced in his other work. Also considering the man usually takes a decade to write his books, the fact that this one is published so soon after his last may have something to do with its supposed breezy plotting.
Whether this actually gets produced or not is highly suspect, but certainly gives fans something to chew on. And of course, if “Leaving Las Vegas” taught us anything, never underestimate the death wish of a screenwriter. – Hunter McClamrock