Warner Bros. has released a new Inherent Vice trailer, and while it doesn't play up the comedy as much as the previous trailer, it does provide a more straightforward view of the film, or at least as straightforward as a Paul Thomas Anderson movie can be.  The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Larry "Doc" Sportello, a pot-smoking private eye who agrees to help an ex (Katherine Waterson) track down her new lover, real estate tycoon Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts), and runs into a number of curious characters in the process.  This trailer highlights other plot points like the involvement of the Golden Fang as well as how the setting factors into the themes.  However, it doesn't provide much in the way of the movie's tone, which, admittedly, is harder to pin down in the span of less than two minutes.

Hit the jump to check out the new Inherent Vice trailer.  The film opens in limited release on December 12th before going wide on January 9th, and also stars Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, Sasha Pieterse, Joanna Newsom, and more.  Click here to check out six clips from the movie, and click here to find out if there's an advanced screening in your area.

Via Warner Bros.

Here’s the official synopsis for Inherent Vice:

“Inherent Vice” is the seventh feature from Paul Thomas Anderson and the first ever film adaption of a Thomas Pynchon novel.  When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a looney bin…well, easy for her to say.  It’s the tail end of the psychedelic `60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused – except this one usually leads to trouble.  With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists…  Part surf noir, part psychedelic romp – all Thomas Pynchon.

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