Movie Review

I was really looking forward to The Master–and since it opened in limited release, there was a bit of extra anticipation involved. Why was I so interested? Word was out that the movie was loosely based on L. Ron Hubbard and the origins of Scientology, and I’ve read a lot about Hubbard–Robert Heinlein (science fiction writer) and John Campbell (Hubbard’s editor) talked about him and his theories a lot in their correspondence, and Campbell was a big supporter of Dianetics, the “science of mental health” that was the precursor to Scientology.

The Master is the story of two men: Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), author of The Cause, a charismatic, intellectual, energetic man; and Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), an ex-navy, drifter who is mentally unstable, perverted, and an alcoholic.
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