Critics at Large | The New Yorker

Episode: One Paul Thomas Anderson Film After Another
Release Date: October 2, 2025
Hosts: Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, Alexandra Schwartz

Overview

In this episode, The New Yorker’s cultural critics—Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz—dive deep into the career of director Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA), with a special focus on his new film, “One Battle After Another.” The panel explores the film’s political ambitions, its place in PTA’s larger body of work, and why his movies evoke such passionate debate. Along the way, they revisit highlights (and lowlights) of Anderson’s filmography, reflect on his recurring themes, dissect the movie’s relationship to the present moment, and share lively, candid (and sometimes contradictory) reactions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing Paul Thomas Anderson and “One Battle After Another”

[01:54–05:40]

• Alexandra Schwartz sets the stage:
  “Paul Thomas Anderson. We are talking about the prolific and, dare I say it, beloved writer director… PTA, I would say, his work is hard to pin down. He loves to time travel… And there’s always something interesting and very ambitious about his films.” [01:56]

• The film at the center of this episode, “One Battle After Another,” is loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland” and marks PTA’s most expensive and most contemporary-set film ever, featuring an ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, and rising star Chase Infinity.

• The hosts are tasked with quick one-line reviews:
  Naomi: “Violent, fun, pretty good, ultimately overhyped.” [04:01]
  (Laughter and playful back-and-forth ensues; Alexandra: “Classic Fry take… Never apologize.” [04:12])

2. Plot Breakdown and Thematic Overview

[05:40–07:53]

• Vinson summarizes the plot:
  “One battle after another begins in… a multicultural, multiracial cell of political revolutionaries called the French 75. They’re sort of the Sly and the Family Stone of domestic terrorism…” [05:40]

  • Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Ghetto Pat; Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills.
  • After a failed bank robbery, the group disperses into hiding.
  • DiCaprio’s character and his daughter (Chase Infinity) go underground; Sean Penn’s Lockjaw, a vengeful white supremacist, comes after them.
  • The film spans revolutionary violence, fugitive life, and a rekindling of dangerous old forces.

• Alexandra praises Vinson’s summary for capturing the “twisty and turny” nature of a nearly three-hour film.

3. Initial Reactions and Critique

[08:07–12:34]

Naomi Fry:

• Struggles to untangle her reaction from the “masterpiece” hype:
  “Everything I was experiencing...was saying that this is a masterpiece like no other...And so…I think there’s a lot of stuff I liked about this movie…but ultimately I felt unsatisfied by its politics.” [08:07]
• Finds the transitions between the film’s grand action and intimate character moments confusing.

Vinson Cunningham:

• More enthusiastic: “This movie kind of rocked. It was just fun to watch. It is loud, it has great music. There are two important car chases…In this movie, the cars feel fast, but also heavy…” [10:12]
• Sees the film as a study in American fetishes and libidinal politics:
  “Maybe it is a political movie…but more political in terms of deep, almost like libidinal things that we all share…” [11:29]
• Pushes back on the “best movie of the 21st century” hype.

Alexandra Schwartz:

• Compelled to rewatch for more insight.
• Notes the boldness of putting issues like immigration detention at the heart of a big-budget action thriller.

4. Mixing Tones: Politics, Satire & Absurdity

[14:21–20:41]

• Alexandra: The film oscillates wildly between action spectacle and emotional realism (e.g., Teyana Taylor’s character nine months pregnant, wielding a machine gun). [14:21]
• Naomi: Questions the anachronistic revolutionary cell, arguing the present day doesn't support such groups in reality:
  “I was like, this feels completely artificially imported into a moment in which this kind of action is really not the lingua franca.” [15:47]
• Vinson: Points out the costume satire—
  “As he does this job, he’s…wearing a bright red Lacoste shirt…it was like a genteel MAGA hat…that’s about fucking Trump.” [18:30]
• Discussion of Benicio Del Toro’s character “Sensei,” who’s running an underground railroad for undocumented migrants, eliciting more desire for his backstory.

5. On Revolutionary Violence & Real-World Parallels

[20:41–21:55]

• Vinson draws parallels between the film's revolutionary cell and figures like Assata Shakur, connecting art to recent headlines:
  “The Teyana Taylor character, I mean, there are some big similarities…the BLA, they bombed government facilities, they did bank robberies…” [21:36]
• Asserts the film’s archetypes occasionally resonate with present reality, intentionally or not.

6. PTA’s Filmography: Bests, Comedy, and Themes

[24:10–33:28]

Boogie Nights

• Naomi’s favorite: “Boogie Nights is a perfect movie for me. Like, he’s never reached the heights that he reached in Boogie Nights.” [24:34]
• She praises its balance between ensemble chaos and character nuance.

Comic Touches

• Vinson: “He’s also a very silly comedian. All the moments when Dirk drops his pants and it looks like the Holy Grail has arrived.” [27:48]

The Master

• Vinson calls it, “the movie that helped me realize…Leo DiCaprio has kind of all always been one of my favorite actors…he’s like water.” [30:32]

There Will Be Blood

• Alexandra: “There Will Be Blood…is about American ambition, greed, the despoilment of land. It’s just about rapaciousness…Daniel Plainview is a huge villain…who represents a lot of what’s wrong with America.” [33:28]

Recurring PTA Themes

• Masculinity, control/domination, rise and fall, power dynamics in relationships.
• Amy Adams’ infamous scene in “The Master,” illustrating moments where controlling men desire submission. [36:18]

Inherent Vice

• The most divisive PTA film: Alexandra and Naomi both cited confusion and disappointment, but admit to feeling "stupid" and compelled to revisit it. [38:35]
• Vinson links it and "One Battle After Another" as "system novel" adaptations: less character-driven, more sprawling moods and conspiracies.

7. “One Battle After Another” and the Present Moment

[41:57–51:01]

• The hosts explore the awkward resonance of the film’s subject matter with America’s current sociopolitical turmoil, especially after recent high-profile violent events (“post Charlie Kirk assassination”).
• Naomi argues PTA is not a "topical" filmmaker:
  “He’s political in the sense that his movies often deal with America…But he’s not a filmmaker that responds to particular issues in the political landscape as they come.” [44:13]
• She critiques the lack of ideological grounding in the film’s fictional revolutionary group:
  “It didn’t…seem to me that the people in the French 75…even necessarily had kind of like an ideological sense of what they were doing.” [45:01]
• Vinson: If a film is going to be about the present, it should avoid the middle ground between specificity and broadness:
  “Get broad or get specific, but don’t be in the middle.” [46:57]
• Alexandra: The use of Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” as a passcode highlights the film’s attempt and fundamental limits:
  “Can he televise the revolution? Can he film the revolution? And he knows that he can’t…But do you still need to try?” [47:12]
• The hosts reflect on the communal experience of seeing a film together as a potential form of hope.
• Alexandra:
  “I have friends who feel like this movie could change the world. I’m not a person who thinks that…but…maybe that’s what we must hold onto.” [50:34]

Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• Naomi, on the hype:
  “Violent, fun, pretty good, ultimately overhyped.” [04:01]
• Vinson, on the car chases:
  “In this movie, the cars feel fast, but also heavy…it’s clear they’re not made for this use to be driven this fast and pushed this hard.” [10:23]
• Alexandra, on the film’s montage and immigration detention scene:
  “A big Hollywood movie is going right off the bat and saying, let’s just depict an aspect of the American present that you’re used to seeing on the news or ignoring.” [13:23]
• Vinson, on satire and symbolism:
  “It was like a genteel MAGA hat. This filmmaker did not make that mistake…he’s wearing a MAGA hat, but he’s also descended from the Mayflower.” [18:30]
• Naomi, on revolutionary politics:
  “This feels completely artificially imported into a moment in which this kind of action is really not the lingua franca…sorry, I’m not buying…revolutionaries working in a 2010 political cell.” [15:47]
• Vinson, on Paul Thomas Anderson and performances:
  “PTA is really good at bringing out the best in an already superlative performer.” [30:32]
• Alexandra, on “There Will Be Blood”:
  “There’s something about There Will Be Blood…I feel like this is a movie in which PTA let himself get as far into just the visuals of filmmaking…It’s about…what’s wrong with America.” [33:28]
• Vinson, on system films vs. character films:
  “It’s stitched together by mood affect, music often, and by the sort of comedic acting of Joaquin Phoenix…It’s a systems cinema and then he has a personal cinema.” [39:11]
• Alexandra, on failed revolutions and Hollywood:
  “We’re dealing with a failed revolution…But do you still need to try? Do you still need to film the revolution? Do you still need to participate in the revolution? Like, that’s what I think the movie is about.” [47:12]

Major Segments and Timestamps

• Intro & Episode Setup: [01:40–05:40]
• Plot Summary of “One Battle After Another”: [05:40–07:53]
• Initial Reviews and First Impressions: [08:07–12:34]
• Mixing Tones and Politics: [14:21–20:41]
• Revolutionary Violence, Satire, and Real World: [20:41–21:55]
• PTA’s Filmography & Recurring Themes: [24:10–33:28]
• Iffy Feelings on “Inherent Vice”: [38:34–40:43]
• How “One Battle…” Engages with ‘The Present’: [41:57–51:01]
• Closing Reflections: [50:34–51:06]

Conclusion

The Critics at Large team brings their A-game in dissecting Paul Thomas Anderson’s ambition, humor, and missteps. “One Battle After Another,” while technically daring and timely, divides the panel, inspiring both awe and skepticism. The conversation moves far beyond a single film—touching on the challenges of representing the American present, the dangers and pleasures of ensemble cinema, and the essential tension at the heart of PTA’s best work: the struggle between domination and vulnerability, spectacle and intimacy, myth and reality.

For listeners who haven’t tuned in, this episode offers an accessible deep dive into Anderson’s evolving legacy, invigorated by smart, passionate argument and plenty of snappy one-liners.