Paul Thomas Anderson delivers his messages with grand imagination and daring.
Magnolia (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:136
Fresh:113
Rotten:23
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Critics say Magnolia is an ambitious, lengthy work that ultimately succeeds due to the interesting stories and excellent ensemble performances.
Synopsis: In a single day in Los Angeles, a number of interconnected lives are changed forever. A lonely police officer (John C. Reilly) falls in love with a disturbed cocaine addict (Melora Walters). Her... In a single day in Los Angeles, a number of interconnected lives are changed forever. A lonely police officer (John C. Reilly) falls in love with a disturbed cocaine addict (Melora Walters). Her father (Philip Baker Hall), the host of the game show "What Do Kids Know?" has terminal cancer and tries to make amends for his past mistakes. A former champion of the show (William H. Macy) struggles to find love while the current champion (Jeremy Blackman) suffocates under the pressures of being a boy genius. An elderly man (Jason Robards) lies on his deathbed, tended by nurse Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman), while his trophy wife (Julianne Moore) wrestles with grief and guilt, and his estranged son (Tom Cruise), an infomercial host, teaches workshops on how to trick women into having sex. Throughout all of this, past deeds are lamented and strange forces loom in the air. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to BOOGIE NIGHTS is an extravagant, emotional epic inspired by such films as Robert Altman's NASHVILLE and SHORT CUTS, with a sprawling cast of characters searching for love and meaning in a chaotic world. The cast delivers uniformly excellent performances, most notably Tom Cruise's Oscar-nominated role as the sleazy Frank T.J. Mackey. [More]
Starring: John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Starring: John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Melora Walters, William H. Macy, Jeremy Blackman, Michael Bowen, Melinda Dillon, April Grace, Luis Guzmán, Alfred Molina, Michael Murphy, Felicity Huffman, Henry Gibson
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Screenwriter: Paul Thomas Anderson
Producer: Joanne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson
Composer: Jon Brion
Reviews for Magnolia
If you've got the time and a cast iron butt, you should definitely take this in.
The exuberance and richness of Anderson's movies reflect the pure joy of somebody in a state of vocational rapture.
I went into Magnolia like a kid running onto a beach with a pail and shovel ready to explore, only to find myself neck deep in quicksand three hours later, screaming for help.
The performances are all around great, with everyone fitting perfectly into their given role.
Each of the principals in this character-driven tale possesses a solid, distinct personality.
The sins of fathers, sons and lovers come pouring onto the audience in a torrent of stifling intensity.
Nearly as impressive as Anderson's rapport with his actors is his use of parallel action to juggle their performances.
I'll guarantee you've never seen anything like them on or off the screen.
Those who 'get' the film are in for something that ranks as more of a cinematic experience than a mere movie.
Rife with unexpected outbursts, moments of catharsis and deeply funny observations about love and sex, this is a film that runs you through the emotional wringer, then shifts into reverse and pulls you back through again.
What Anderson lacks in substance is offset by his great skill with actors, his gift for shaping resonant little individual vignettes and his extraordinary intuition.
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