Magnolia

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Magnolia

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Magnolia

Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise

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

Id: 10899716

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Recent Reviews

Magnolia Recent Reviews
  • SirPant
    September 16, 2009
    SirPant
    For me, this is maybe the most overrated film ever made! Tom Cruise's performance is cringingly awful. Only William H. Macy it seems is acting, and, I'm sorry, but the 'frog rain' ending is not a clever twist, It really annoys me thinking about it, I have so many reasons why I h...( read more)ate this film that my brain hurts! Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most overrated directors ever.
  • ironclad1609
    September 4, 2009
    ironclad1609
    After a really amusing and curious beginning with three short stories of unbelievable coincidences, this ensemble drama requires quite some patience from the audience over its three hours. There are mostly just conversations, scenes switch from character to character with little ...( read more)progress in the action and total uncertainty about where all this is going while the score buzzes threateningly in the background. It's the characters and the actors filling these roles that keep you on the edge of your seat anyway. by the end you feel as if you've known them for a very long time, although we only see one day on their lives. The acting is some of the best you could have seen in the last 10 years. Tom Cruise gives the performance of his lifetime showing how underrated as an actor he is, Jason Robards really looks and talks as if he is about to die and P.S. Hoffman is fantastic as always, just to name a few. Aimee Mann's songs add a very special feeling to the film, the scene where the whole ensemble sings along to one of them in different places is pure movie magic. Intelligent, moving, well written and gloomy but not without hope. A must see.
  • stopitgoaway
    July 12, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    A dazzling epic of coincidence and fate during one day in the San Fernando Valley. This opens with a short story about some "true-life" examples of coincidence designed to show us that these things can't "just happen" and that there must be more to it than that. It then flies int...( read more)o the lives of a handful of different characters in a exhilarating introduction to a game show host, a sex guru, a police officer, a dying father, a male nurse, a drug addict to name a few. After this the speed slows down slightly and the characters are given time to develop and the stories begin to interlink.

    Paul Thomas Anderson continues to get better and better with Hard Eight, Boogie Nights and now this. Here he gives a human touch to the director where someone like Altman would have been colder and more clinical. He seems to care about these characters and encourages us to do likewise. The direction is astonishing - it moves at a fast pace when it needs to, it is still and watching when appropriate and, at times, it is downright beautiful in a visionary way. Anderson's tries some audacious tricks and manages to pull them off - a scan round all the main characters singing an Aimee Mann track while they contemplate what's become of their lives is not only daring but works as one of the most moving moments in the film.

    The acting is flawless - Cruise deserved the Oscar for this performance, but he is only one of an amazing range of actors including Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall etc. They are all excellent in their roles and make you care for all their characters - no matter how terrible they seem or how bad their crimes.

    Direction is faultless, performances border on the brilliant, the script is totally convincing and moving. The only weak link is the biblical ending which may annoy some but I think fits in well with the tone of the film, after all, like the film says, "but it did happen".

    If only all films could meet the standards achieved by this beautiful piece of work.
  • kenstachnik
    May 16, 2009
    kenstachnik
    A little too long and a little too clever for it's own good. Magnolia is full of terrific performances and complex emotion. PTA's script effortlessly dances from one thread to another. I didn't really appreciate this until a 2nd viewing.
  • bradwest
    February 15, 2009
    bradwest
    One of those character's lives intersect films that works exceedingly well. One of Cruise's best performances. Will stop to watch it anytime I find it on cable.
  • StewartMc
    December 23, 2009
    StewartMc
    Wonderful cast in this truly epic movie.
  • jxxx84
    December 17, 2009
    jxxx84
    Recommended by SexiVixxEN
  • SexiVixxEN
    December 16, 2009
    SexiVixxEN
    Wow! Sorry I waited so long to see this movie.Slam dunk cast with stellar performances,Tom Cruise always amazes me.This was a great film,had a very 11:14 kinda feel and one of the weirdest endings I think I maybe have ever seen in a movie but it was awesome.Highly recommended if ...( read more)you are looking for a quality film not junk.
  • ALPENGIRL
    December 13, 2009
    ALPENGIRL
    good, but typical USA movie...
  • portuguesepenguin
    November 28, 2009
    portuguesepenguin
    absolutely a great movie that shld be watched
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