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Magnolia

Magnolia (1999)

December. 17,1999
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8
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R
| Drama

An epic mosaic of many interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.

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Reviews

Intcatinfo
1999/12/17

A Masterpiece!

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Glucedee
1999/12/18

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

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Fairaher
1999/12/19

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

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Maleeha Vincent
1999/12/20

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

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cinephile-27690
1999/12/21

This is one of the absolute best movies I have ever seen.I walked into it knowing little about it-aside from Roger Ebert's review-which is on YouTube. (And by the way, he called it the year's 2nd best movie-behind Being John Malkovich-which I have not yet seen.) And the whole 188 minutes blew me away. The movie has 9 plots that seem to have nothing in common. What does a little boy pressured to win a game show have to do with a man who conducts seminars on seducing women? What does a woman with a wealthy husband dying of cancer have to do with an officer who falls in love with a drug addict(a fact unknown to him)? I didn't care when I watched it, though, I just stayed engrossed into the movie.Then a weird thing happens with frogs. (That's all I will say since I want this to be spoiler free.) What does THAT have to do anything? Eh,whatever.Then the movie ended. I was so enchanted by the movie that I was so bummed that it was over. Then I thought-what was that all about? Then I realized.All these characters had a struggle-to win a game, to dealing with a soon loss, to trying to date a person to numerous other situations. But the frog event made them worry no more, They had hope from this one event. All worries can end well if we have hope.That is the message I got out of it. Maybe you will look at it differently.And I think that was an intention in making the movie.Magnolia is a fantastic movie-and you should see and interpret it for yourself.

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merelyaninnuendo
1999/12/22

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.

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slightlymad22
1999/12/23

Magnolia (1999)Plot In A Paragraph: 24 hours in the lives of 9 characters, whose lives are all connected in one way or another. Magnolia, admittedly not for everyone!! Like most Paul Thomas Anderson movies, it runs too long and what happens towards the end certainly divides people. There is not a single weak link in its amazing cast. Julianne Moore, Melora Walters, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Luis Guzman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Alfred Molina were all in Andersons Boogie Nights. Burt Reynolds was also asked to return, but he turned down the role of Tom Cruise's Dad, as he didn't like working with Anderson on Boogie Nights, and when they were on shows promoting the movie, he says Anderson was always interrupting him!! Cruise is riveting, its possibly the best performance of his career. He was nominated for his third academy award, and won his third (and to date last) golden globe. I think he can consider himself unlucky losing to Michel Caine that year. I think he should have won. The death bed scene is superb. It's the stuff of legend that Philip Seymour Hoffman was not meant to cry in that scene, but he was that "in the scene" Cruise made his cry. Anderson liked it, and kept it in. Magnolia grossed $22 million to end 2000 the 80th highest grossing movie of the year. The lowest performing Tom Cruise movie to date.

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martinrking
1999/12/24

Magnolia is a very long and complex movie. It contains many themes and issues but it doesn't explore them with much depth. Magnolia ended without giving any new perspectives on its themes. It did leave me bored and impatient. It's impossible not to think when watching Magnolia, why not tackle half these themes, explore them more thoughtfully, say something, ask some questions, and do it in two hours? There are at least three movies contained in Magnolia. Some of the stories are captivating while others are one-dimensional and weightless. Julianne Moore threatens to sink the whole ship with her soap opera-level portrayal of a drug addict with almost-zero characterization. In stark contrast, the characters played by John C. Riley and Tom Cruise could have been entire movies unto themselves. Multiple characters are set up as "bad people" but then the "twist" is that they were abused as children. But as a movie about child abuse, Magnolia has nothing to say at all. Two characters confess that they cheated on their spouses in long monologues. But is Magnolia about infidelity? I don't think so. Is Magnolia about regret? Yes, it's about that, and guilt, parenting, child abuse, substance abuse, law enforcement and crime, honesty, dating, death and dying, child prodigies, show business, unlikely coincidences, loneliness, it never ends!Magnolia is very intense and melodramatic. I don't think intensity and melodrama are substitutes for pathos and insight. The meta-narrative about coincidences and interconnected lives is self-indulgent and self-congratulatory. Magnolia is only bearably watchable from beginning to end because of a few strong performances and excellent cinematography and editing.Ingmar Bergman apparently like this film. Well, if you want a movie about imperfect fathers, check out Bergman's Wild Strawberries. It's way better, and it doesn't have three music videos in it, and it's not over three hours long.

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