Written and Directed by:  Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring:  John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, Julianne
Moore, Melora Walters, Jason Robards, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Jeremy Blackman
 

January 5, 1999

         Chance meetings, coincidence, fate: what it is that guides us through life?  Does everything happen for a reason?  These are the questions that Paul Thomas
Anderson’s Magnolia answers with subtlety and originality.
         A magnolia or flower is a perfect metaphor for life.  The center sprouts petals which inevitably fall off and die, just like the center and stem.  At the center of this particular story is Earl Partridge (Robards), a wealthy man dying of cancer.  He has influenced everyone's life in the story one way or another.  The script is subtle in this way because it doesn't tell you this all at once, and it makes you think about how he influenced some of the characters.
         The parallelism between the characters show the similarities and differences between people.  There's whiz kid Donnie Smith (Macy) who was a quiz show champion back in the ‘60’s.  We get to see the affects of being a kid prodigy has had on his life.  Then there's Stanley Spector (Blackman) who is a kid prodigy, and we get to see how it affects him in the present.  Earl, dying of cancer, has
regrets.  And so does Jimmy Gator (Hall), who is dying of cancer.  It may seem redundant to have two older characters both dying of cancer.  But it works because it works as a contrast to show who has the darker secrets
and biggest regrets about their lives.
         Tom Cruise has been getting a lot of hype for his portrayal of Frank Mackey.  Yes, he is great in this role.  But I would hate for this to undermine the other performances.  John C. Reilly stands out as Jim Kurring, the lonely officer who wants to find that right person.  William H. Macy, as the ex-celebrity, reminds me of his dweebish role in Fargo, but has more heart.   As Linda Partridge, Julianne Moore gives another great performance getting to the emotional depth of her character.
        Most of the music is by Aimee Mann and her lyrics fit the film perfectly.  What's interesting is that Anderson says that he took a lyric from one of her songs, "Deathly," and wrote backwards from that for one of the stories of the film.  The only thing that bothered me was that everytime Donny got out of his car, the same song was playing.
         Magnolia is the kind of film that makes you laugh and cry at the same time.  It touches me on a personal level because I could identify with these characters.  Although Boogie Nights was good, it failed to do this.  Anderson has come far with this film, especially the way he tells eight stories at once by cutting back and forth between them.
        The film opening of the film leads into an engaging montage which introduces all of the characters, and it isn't confusing at all to keep up with each one of them.  The ending is well worth the three hour wait, and I urge you to keep an open mind once it comes.  Although this film is long, it doesn't seem like it; Magnolia manages to keep you interested the whole time.
 

Alternative Recommendations:  Hard Eight (d: Anderson, s: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly), Boogie Nights (d: Anderson, s: Hall, Reilly, Julianne Moore), Grand Canyon

-(Reviewed in Theater) On Video & DVD
 

Updated September 6, 2000

        Magnolia, like Fight Club, is a 2 disc set with the 2nd disc containing all the supplementary features.  There are so many things to explore on this one.  Aimee Mann's "Save Me" video is inventive, as it puts her in certain scenes as she sings to the characters from the film.
        The Magnolia Diary is full of tidbits about P.T. Anderson, from how he started writing Magnolia during the release of Boogie Nights, to production meetings, to testing the frog rain.  Interviews with most of the cast are included here.  It's interesting to learn Jason Robard's connection with his character.  And you'll even get to see Anderson's girlfriend, one of my favorite singers, Fiona Apple.
        The best parts are the Frank T. J. Mackey infomercial and seminar.  Anderson shot the whole infomercial that we only see parts of in the film.  The seminar is a continuation of a scene that begins in the film.  But both are fun once you've seen the film and can put them into perspective with Cruise's character.
        The most disappointing aspect is that there is no commentary.  Boogie Nights has a few different tracks on it, and I would have expected this only being Anderson's third film that he would like to talk about it, along with the cast, but I guess not. 

Nominated for
6 Fidelio Film Awards

Winner of
2 Fidelio Film Awards

Best Dramatic Feature	Winner of Best Original Screenplay Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Supporting Actor John C. Reilly	Winner of Best Song "Momentum" --Aimee Mann Click on Picture
Best Song "Wise UP"--Aimee Mann	Best Score

Check out these other Fidelio Film Reviews:
Fight Club
Focus
Gangs of New York
Mission:Impossible II
Punch-Drunk Love
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Vanilla Sky