The Master (2012)
Haunted by his past, a World War II veteran crosses paths with a mysterious movement called The Cause.
Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 14 September 2012 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Director | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| Starring | Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams |
| Runtime | 137 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.1/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 85% · Metacritic 86/100 · TMDB users 7.1/10 |
| Budget | $35 million |
Where to watch The Master
The Master is streaming on Tubi in the US.
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Rent or buy
You can rent or buy The Master on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Master in 10 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Australia | Prime Video $12.99 AUD |
| Gibraltar | Prime Video |
| Guernsey | Prime Video |
| Ireland | Prime Video €6.99 |
| Italy | Prime Video €4.99 |
| New Zealand | Prime Video $8.99 NZD |
| San Marino | Prime Video |
| South Korea | Wavve ₩10900, Tving ₩10900 |
| United Kingdom | Prime Video £8.99 GBP |
| Vatican City | Prime Video |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2012 drama runs 137 minutes and moves with the heavy, deliberate pace of a ship at anchor. It captures the suffocating tension between a volatile veteran and the magnetic leader of a postwar movement. The film does not rush to explain its characters or resolve their conflicts. It lets the silence do the work, forcing you to sit with the discomfort of two men circling each other. You will either find it hypnotic or unbearably slow.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes reports an 85% approval rating from 257 reviews, while Metacritic assigns a Metascore of 86 out of 100. The consensus calls it smart and solidly engrossing, a description that fits a film designed to resist easy digestion. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times noted that Phoenix makes his character "frighteningly believable." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly awarded it an "A" grade.
How it did with audiences
The budget was $35 million. It took in $28 million. In Hollywood math, that is a loss. In any other context, it is a modest, if unprofitable, exchange. TMDB users rate it 7.1 out of 10. The numbers suggest a niche appeal rather than a mass hit, yet the film found its specific audience quickly.
What came next for the cast
For Joaquin Phoenix, the jump from Signs to Joker feels like a decade compressed into a single career arc. Rami Malek went from museum muppets to Oppenheimer, a pivot that defies simple explanation. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s post-Master credits include three Hunger Games films, a franchise that barely registers compared to his earlier work. Amy Adams moved from Night at the Museum to Arrival, trading dinosaurs for linguistics. These shifts happened in a crowded industry, not because of one specific role. The credits just mark the timeline.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Master.
Sources
- The Master on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q283586 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Master (2012 film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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