Magnolia (1999)

"Magnolia" is an incredibly unusual film...sort of an experimental project in it's style. Because of this and the occasionally extremely graphic language and depressing stories, it's a film that many would find hard to like...though I remember professional critics practically falling all over themselves praising it for its originality. So did I like it? Read on.As far as how the film is experimental, it features many different stories that are interwoven throughout the story and it is really not apparently what connects them all during much of "Magnolia". There are also many rapid edits and jumps that make it difficult to follow as well as the three hour plus running time.There is a prologue where several stories (including at least two urban legends) are all used to illustrate death and that perhaps in life there are no coincidences...and you can only assume the disparate stories that follow must be related to this...maybe. So what are the stories? Well, there are too many and too many parts to tell but they involve a dying man (Jason Robards) and his caregiver (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a woman who appears to be strung out (Julianne Moore), a cop who seems to go from one crisis call to another (John C. Reilly), a man who is dying and wants to reconnect with his angry daughter, an ex-quiz kid who now feels like a loser, a sociopathic motivational speaker (Tom Cruise) and many more. And do they all come together to make any sense? Well, they are mostly pretty depressing...at least I can say that without hurting the viewing experience.As I watched, I found "Magnolia" very hard to stop watching. Despite not necessarily enjoying much of the film, it sure kept my attention. Much of it was because the film features a lot of great actors and they had some amazing moments in the movie. Is it a film I loved? No. But I do respect it for trying to be different. And, on balance I am glad I saw it. But I agree with the director/writer when he later said the film might have been better had it been pared down a bit.

I'll tell you about strange things happening all the time, because I've experienced them. The very prior two movies I've seen and reviewed here on IMDb both featured a baby carriage scene in which an infant is carried away by a stroller down a long flight of stairs within sight of it's mother who is unable to help or give chase. One was the 1925 silent film "Battleship Potemkin", the other was 1987's "The Untouchables". I call these moments of cosmic serendipity, occurring completely at random, yet having a connection of sorts that were neither planned or expected. And now, here's a third film, "Magnolia", gloriously pointing out that these kinds of events happen all the time. One might ask 'What are the odds' in a seemingly moot way because who can explain it? As for the three vignettes that opened the story, at least two of them made the internet rounds some time ago - the scuba diver plucked out of the ocean to land in the middle of a forest fire, and the suicide attempt that was interrupted by negligent homicide. If memory serves, I think they were both outed as urban legends, but I can't be sure about that. Nor can one be sure about the unexplained coincidence that permeates this story with it's cast of unsympathetic characters. Though it's easier to explain in a film because that's the way the script was written, whereas real life is as random as it gets. As for all those frogs falling out of the sky, well, that's really happened a number of times throughout history with no apparent explanation. As to the sheer massive quantity and size of those amphibians, I think there was a little overkill employed to make a point. What the point was, I don't know.The person in the story I felt the most 'bad' about was the young quiz kid Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman). His life was careening down the same path as his predecessor Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), though in Stanley's case, I felt he had the potential to turn into a mass murderer. Recall when his father raged through the studio as Stanley wouldn't answer a question; the old man demanded to know what Stanley was doing 'to him'. Just a perfectly narcissistic parent attempting to cash in on his son's knowledge and initiative. The film offers a fine array of character performances with Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore and John C. Reilly leading the way. If there was a single twist in the story, my money rests on the fact that the game show was a Big Earl Partridge Production, while all the time thinking that Frank Mackey's (Cruise) claim his father was a former television executive a load of hogwash. Turns out he wasn't blowing smoke for a change.

MagnoliaHolding an audience on the edge of the seat for more than 3 hours is an accomplishment let along entertain, mesmerize and inspire them with some outstanding writing ever to be written for the screen. When it comes to manipulate multiple characters and make them dance like puppets and bring out the best from each and every situation, no one can hardly touch Paul Thomas Anderson, for his awareness of its eerie world, concept and characters is what makes it work all the way through. Magnolia offers a rare experience that cinema and art could still bedazzle us by its thought provoking aspects toward life and humanity. It is carried and depicted by so many great performances by Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Philip Hoffman and John C. Riley pitching each and every words on screen majestically. Magnolia contains fast paced exhilarating script which is supported thoroughly by stellar performances, breathtaking background score and perfect execution.

Maybe the best film I have ever see in my life. Actors, actresses, plot, directing, light, etc....all is perfect. The music is so important, it keeps you in a tension, you want to laugh, to cry, to scream, isn't it the goal of cinema? PT Anderson made a master piece, one of the greatest movie of history. Thank you.