Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Magnolia is a very good film by director Paul Thomas Anderson. However I don't believe it is his best like so many critics have pointed out. Anderson would hone his craft in his future work, but with Magnolia we get to see a director creating something unique. Anderson has always… More
  Magnolia is a very good film by director Paul Thomas Anderson. However I don't believe it is his best like so many critics have pointed out. Anderson would hone his craft in his future work, but with Magnolia we get to see a director creating something unique. Anderson has always been one of the finer directors who are able to craft quality films with great casts of talented actors. Magnolia is a sweeping movie that intertwines the lives of different people into a powerful story. I really loved the film, but I just don't feel that it is Thomas Anderson's best. He would later make the far superior Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood. But Magnolia is a fine film that should appeal to viewers looking for a well directed picture that tells a good story. Is it the sweeping masterpiece that viewers have claimed it to be? No, it isn't, but it is worth seeing, and Paul Thomas Anderson's direction is wonderful and he tells an interesting story that is dark and intense. A theme that seems to pop out constantly throughout the film is finding happiness and hope. Magnolia draws its strength from its captivating performances from the cast, and each brings something wonderful to the screen. Although not perfect, Magnolia is a well executed picture that tells a solid story. This is a must see film for fans of the director, and it is a well paced film that you soon won't forget. The cast is what makes this one overcome its shortcomings, and the best actors here that have impressed me are Julianne Moore, John C. Reilley and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I liked Tom Cruise, but I simply thought he was a bit overdoing it in his performance. Magnolia is worth seeing, but like I previously stated, Anderson would later mature as a director with more interesting films that really pushed the envelope even further.

• Emil K

  
  One of the most accomplished and greatest achievements in the career of Paul Thomas Anderson. Magnolia is an unforgettable in it's presentation and also very touching experience to sit through. Anderson's own magnum opus reaches in so many different directions and at times… More
  One of the most accomplished and greatest achievements in the career of Paul Thomas Anderson. Magnolia is an unforgettable in it's presentation and also very touching experience to sit through. Anderson's own magnum opus reaches in so many different directions and at times it runs straight to the wall and at times it scores big time. Not since or not before has Anderson made a film this ambitious in his career. Magnolia is a epic mosaic that goes deep inside the lives of certain characters and their busy day in a San Fernando valley. There are so many different interesting techniques at work here, so many interesting characters, sub plots, twists, turns and collisions that at times Magnolia itself feels like a riveting, risky and brave game. As i said it does not always succeed, especially the over use of Aimee Mann's mostly annoying songs feel forced and it all takes a bit too much time to get on it's way. But when it comes to being bold you have to give credit for Anderson. He is interesting director who is always interested in trying something fresh or changing his approach or style. Since Magnolia he has gone somewhere quite different and darker as an filmmaker. His manical style has also changed into more balanced and calmer. Magnolia instead is a bit overdrive all the time and all the connections seems a bit too scrambled at times. Actors are doing fantastic work here. Philip Seymour Hoffman is especially good as caretaker with a big heart and Tom Cruise has one of his greatest performances in this film. I like Magnolia and i like to see it time to time. It is not a film which is easy to sit through. For starters it's three hour lenght is quite a turn off but if you are patient viewer i can assure you that you will be rewarded with a bold and unforgettable journey into to everyday life of these fascinating characters. Worth the journey.

• Nate Z

  
  [font=Arial][color=darkred]Absa-f***in'-brillaint.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: A[/color][/font]

• Lucas M

  
  A realist and surrealist ambitious work by P.T., Magnolia it's the Short Cuts from the end of 90's and a more serious version of Happiness.

• Melvin W

  
  Claudia Wilson Gator: I'll tell you everything, and you tell me everything, and maybe we can get through all the piss and shit and lies that kill other people.  "Things fall down. People look up. And when it rains, it pours." Magnolia is a good example for why Paul… More
  Claudia Wilson Gator: I'll tell you everything, and you tell me everything, and maybe we can get through all the piss and shit and lies that kill other people.  "Things fall down. People look up. And when it rains, it pours." Magnolia is a good example for why Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best filmmakers around. He's yet to make a bad movie, and a lot of the time, at the end of watching one of his films, I am left stunned. That's the case with Magnolia, maybe more than any other of his great movies. This a beautiful, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, film. We watch characters and their personal lives intersect. At first, we don't know how these different stories relate, but slowly Anderson brings them together. You know a movie is amazing when just over 3 hours of runtime feels quick. We see the lives of different people intersect and the movie comes to an unforgettable end. The people who's lives we see are a child on a gameshow, a gameshow host that just found out he has cancer, the daughter of the gameshow host is a cocaine addict, and a cop. Also there is a dying old man, his much younger wife, a caregiver, and a guy who teaches men how to fuck any woman they want to.  This is an extremely emotional film and there are a wide array of subjects touched in Anderson's amazing script. Addiction, guilt, forgiveness, and love happen to be some of the biggest. Everything is handled with such care, that every single thing Anderson is trying to present comes across in a clear and precise way, but without being too in your face obvious.  Magnolia is an absolute masterpiece. Its length may be a turn off for some people, but it is a film worth sitting through. There's nothing hard about watching it either. I was never bored and for a movie that runs 3 hours; that is a rarity. This is visionary filmmaking from one of the best around right now. There's a huge cast with big names like Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall, William H. Macy, and John C. Reilly. All of them, plus a variety of others give flawless performances. Cruise, Macy, and Reilly are my standouts. I don't care what your opinion of Tom Cruise is; his performance in this is ridiculously good. Like every PTA film, this is a must watch. Anderson calls it his best film and who am I to disagree with him. There Will Be Blood, Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love; they're all great. Punch Drunk Love is one of my absolute favorite movies ever. There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights, both masterpieces. But Magnolia is a movie that is just something else entirely. Describing what that is, is just about impossible.

• Kevin C

  
  Exhausting and occasionally melodramatic, but completely stunning in its acute attention to detail, fascinating characters, and just about everything else that qualifies a film as "stunning."

• Alice S

  
  What a massive-ass movie. The zooms and tracking shots are jarring and dramatic, the script is sensitive but not mawkish, the soundtrack...actually makes me enjoy Aimee Mann. The bits of eccentric fantasy may be weird but they JUST WORK! Bravura performance by Melora Walters as… More
  What a massive-ass movie. The zooms and tracking shots are jarring and dramatic, the script is sensitive but not mawkish, the soundtrack...actually makes me enjoy Aimee Mann. The bits of eccentric fantasy may be weird but they JUST WORK! Bravura performance by Melora Walters as Claudia, the drug addict with daddy issues. Her hands never stop moving. She spits out her words with nervous urgency as if there are too many others taking up room in her mouth.

• Kase V

  
  Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Magnolia' is a great achievment for the director. The acting from the great ensemble cast was brilliant (Tom Cruise= WOW), the camera work was the usual PTA top notch, and the surprising, unexpected climax was appalling. Fans of Film should… More
  Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Magnolia' is a great achievment for the director. The acting from the great ensemble cast was brilliant (Tom Cruise= WOW), the camera work was the usual PTA top notch, and the surprising, unexpected climax was appalling. Fans of Film should relish such a multi-layered film, but the casual movie watcher may find the 3 hour run time too much to handle.

• Graham J

  
  PTA uses what he learned from watching Robert Altman and creates an epic, operatic masterpiece. With an ensemble cast that is second to none, this one blew me away.

• William D

  
  I finally sat down and watched the three-hour epic "Magnolia" from Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will Be Blood"). I found it to be a sterile, overblown intellectual exercise with no characters that had any authenticity. All the characters, and there are about 20,… More
  I finally sat down and watched the three-hour epic "Magnolia" from Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will Be Blood"). I found it to be a sterile, overblown intellectual exercise with no characters that had any authenticity. All the characters, and there are about 20, were caricatures intended to convey the filmmaker's ideas. Not one of them felt like a real person to me. Furthermore, the filmmaker's ideas weren't interesting. The legendary frog shower at the end struck me as a pretentious device from a screenwriter running on empty. Rarely have I seen a filmmaker try so hard and come up so empty-handed.

• Universal D

  
  Forgiveness, like anything truly important in life, is all too easily spoke of and ruminated over but oh so difficult to come to. Anderson boldly attacks this consideration with a masterpiece of an ensemble work that's perhaps not for everyone and yet nonetheless sublimely… More
  Forgiveness, like anything truly important in life, is all too easily spoke of and ruminated over but oh so difficult to come to. Anderson boldly attacks this consideration with a masterpiece of an ensemble work that's perhaps not for everyone and yet nonetheless sublimely stunning and magnificent.

• Liam G

  
  When watching Magnolia, many emotions go through your head at different stages. There are times when you might laugh, times when you might cry, but the final scene provides an emotion greater than any other. Hope. When a certain character smiles, you smile, as you know that even in… More
  When watching Magnolia, many emotions go through your head at different stages. There are times when you might laugh, times when you might cry, but the final scene provides an emotion greater than any other. Hope. When a certain character smiles, you smile, as you know that even in difficult times there is always someone who cares about you and help you get through it. Paul Thomas Anderson made a film where everything falls into place beautifully. You follow 9 characters apart of one storyline, and not one feels out of place or under developed. This is one of the best ensamble casts in a film I've ever witnessed. Everyone gives a truly magnificent performance, with Philip Baker Hall, Julianne Moore and especially Tom Cruise, who gives the performance of his lifetime, standing out. The screenplay proves to have incredibly moving moments, which Anderson executes in a way that shows his genius. You will be able to identify with the characters, you can connect with all 9 of them. Certain scenes will always stick in my mind, as will the incredible soundtrack. All of these stories lead to an unforgettable climax and to the scene I mentioned at the beginning of this review. It is a film essential for you to watch, it may help you at a time in your life. P.T. Anderson said that, for better or for worse, Magnolia will be his best film. It is, arguably, his best film.

• Spencer S

  
  The keywords given to describe this film are perfect: deep, weird, depressing, and complex. In the very beginning we're told that the lives of these people all somehow intersect to make a type of tapestry that weaves the events of the film together. Some of the characters are… More
  The keywords given to describe this film are perfect: deep, weird, depressing, and complex. In the very beginning we're told that the lives of these people all somehow intersect to make a type of tapestry that weaves the events of the film together. Some of the characters are nicely put together, including TJ Mackey (Cruise), a misogynistic self help guru for likewise heterosexual men trying to claim women as possessions. Cruise is intertwined with Earl Patridge (Robards) a wealthy man on his death bed, awaiting closure with his son, TJ, before he dies. Tied into all of this are the stories of Earl's wife (Moore) a woman utterly hysterical at her own stupidity and certain newfound love for her aged husband, a cop who loves a woman who is secretly a junkie, a dying game show host, and a former boy wonder who is left with less intellect after being struck by lightening. Nothing here is the type of weirdness that infatuates the hipster breed, but instead a strange series of events that are both nonsenical to the average person, but also scope the quite average person's take on death, love, addiction, possession, and leaving the past to dwell in said past. Besides the ridiculous ending (SPOILER ALERT: frogs rain down from the sky) everything is shown to be building to some form of resolution. It caters to everyone's mindset, without belying the point of happiness and forgiveness, central to all of Anderson's films.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  Magnolia is proof that Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best directors working today. P.T.A. achieved not only an impressive film, but he managed to put together an undisputable classic. He made two otherwise ridiculous scenes work, and actually made them seem necessary… More
  Magnolia is proof that Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best directors working today. P.T.A. achieved not only an impressive film, but he managed to put together an undisputable classic. He made two otherwise ridiculous scenes work, and actually made them seem necessary (they're, of course, the singing bit and the frog rain). Beautifully shot and scored, by Robert Elswit and Jon Bryon, respectively, Magnolia flows smoothly, while it successfully moves you with its strong portrayals of diseased and troubled lives. The film is a beautiful work of art on so many levels: the cinematography, the score, the editing, Anderson's master-class direction, and of course, its most popular asset: the unbelievable ensemble cast. Tom Cruise gives his best performance here, but other actors stand out too, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Melora Walters, Philip Baker Hall, Jason Robards, William H. Macy and April Grace.

• Shawn E

  
  An emotional and complex film with some terrific performances by an all-star cast. The film might run a little long and the story might be a bit strange, but there's definitely something special here.

• Steven C

  
  Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia" is a powerhouse of a film. It's complex, probing, emotional and unforgettable. Every actor in it's large ensemble turns in a riveting performance. "Magnolia" is as much of an opera as it is a film, with is epic… More
  Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia" is a powerhouse of a film. It's complex, probing, emotional and unforgettable. Every actor in it's large ensemble turns in a riveting performance. "Magnolia" is as much of an opera as it is a film, with is epic emotional scale and larger than life but always intensely human performances.

• Lewis C

  
  I've watched this three times in the last few days, and I feel like watching it again as I write this. It's extremely complex; even more so than the other Paul Thomas Anderson movies. I know how I feel about it, but it's almost impossible to communicate it with words.  … More
  I've watched this three times in the last few days, and I feel like watching it again as I write this. It's extremely complex; even more so than the other Paul Thomas Anderson movies. I know how I feel about it, but it's almost impossible to communicate it with words.   There are so many characters and so many loosely connected plotlines, but I  never once felt lost. The fact that this three hour movie never once feels tedious or drawn-out, is absolutely amazing. It's incredibly easy to watch and get swept up in the events of these people's lives. Some of them are much more interesting than others. A few of the characters and storylines held little interest for me, but what John C. Reilly, Tom Cruise, and (especially) Melora Walters do here is just amazing. I never thought I'd see a movie with Philip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy in it where they weren't the best actors, but as good as they were, they can't hold a candle to the three performances I just mentioned. This isn't for everyone. That's an understatement. Some people will find it pretentious. Others, will find certain events absurd. And most people will find themselves searching for the meaning of it all, after it ends. Magnolia is the kind of movie that requires repeated viewings, so be aware of that. Every single time I've watched it, I've understood and loved it a little bit more. Once you watch that final scene and feel something click inside you, you'll know that you've seen something special. Something so ambitious and unique that there's really little I can compare it to.

• Eric S

  
  "You can forget the past, but the past won't forget you." Quite a briliant film that has a lot to offer, and is what I believe to be an educational piece of cinema by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film consists of a series of poignant vignettes of nine interrelated… More
  "You can forget the past, but the past won't forget you." Quite a briliant film that has a lot to offer, and is what I believe to be an educational piece of cinema by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film consists of a series of poignant vignettes of nine interrelated characters through coincidence, past history, human action, and divine intervention in the San Fernando Valley. There is a lot going on in this film that touches on many issues which are problems in our society, and how certain individuals choose to deal with them. As John C. Reilly's police officer character says, "Sometimes you forgive people and let them off, and sometimes you send them to jail." This pertains not to only prison, but to the containment which dwells within each of us which keeps our emotions behind bars that are so desperately in need of freedom.

• jd c

  
  "I have a feeling, one of those gut feelings, that I'll make pretty good movies the rest of my life. And maybe I'll make some clunkers, maybe I'll make some winners, but I guess the way that I really feel is that Magnolia is, for better or worse, the best movie… More
  "I have a feeling, one of those gut feelings, that I'll make pretty good movies the rest of my life. And maybe I'll make some clunkers, maybe I'll make some winners, but I guess the way that I really feel is that Magnolia is, for better or worse, the best movie I'll ever make." - Paul Thomas Anderson P.T. Anderson, alongside of Tarantino, is one of Hollywood's new greatest writers. I am by no means comparing P.T's style of filmmaking to Quentin's, because in fact they are both unique, but on two different levels entirely. And as I do find Anderson to be far superior in the technical standpoint of storytelling, there's no denying that Tarantino has an exquisitely, intellectual ability of his own. And to put Anderson ten steps above him is saying a lot. Magnolia, written only for screen by P.T. Anderson, plays off more like a masterfully skilled, in dept, detailed novel, with the visuals to tour us through each and every chapter. It was written with fresh, immense honesty, with every word standing true to us, even holding a personal note to each owns individual experiences and aspects we hold at hand. It's pure genius to say the least, and P.T.'s best work yet. Magnolia tells us of a forthcoming, an act in nature's fury, or maybe even a blessing, a turning point for things to come, or maybe even an act of God? Who's to say? Is there an answer to this riddle? Whatever lies beneath, one thing for sure that comes to surface, is the possibility of any unforeseeable act, putting a crack in any coincidental circumstance. It's like P.T. Anderson's personal bible, his own take on faith and human understandings, written in his own blood and sealed with undeniable certainty. Storytelling (and much deeper), simply at it's best. "The film begins with a narrator telling us three separate stories based on the theme of coincidence. From there, we meet 9 characters whose lives are all connected in one way or another. We follow them all over the course of one day and watch their lives change forever." The acting here, from each person involved, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Robards, and Tom Cruise (especially Tom Cruise)...all phenomenal. It's a powerhouse display of sadness, rage, and regrettable lifestyle, that doesn't just rock the boat, it sinks it. It'll effect you in one way or another, but by touching you in the deepest of places, either moving you with intensity, from the vibrant realism sweating off each characters forehead, to the blood pulsating in their veins, running with fear. Or it'll fill you with sadness, maybe even animosity, and sometimes tickling your funny bone, but either way...it'll all come from the heart. Filmmaking wise? Choice of style, usage of lighting, the (untarnished and stylish) long dolly shots, and overall pacing and tone?...Fabulously structured! Beautifully flawless! P.T. Anderson is the real deal when it comes to filmmaking, as he's proven himself with his first, remarkable feature, noir piece, "Hard Eight", and then the dementedly funny, but hard hitting and provocative, Oscar nominee "Boogie Nights" (which clearly, Martin Scorsese was of much inspiration), but of course P.T. was able to pull that off just right. ...Now his third feature Magnolia. A slightly deranged, powerfully emotional, and funny motion picture. It's an epic of storytelling. One of the best films of 1999! Character driven study of lonely desperations, and the possibilities of life turning ultimatums through the darkest, and most aberrant, occurrences of chances that life sometimes has to offer. In the end, Magnolia doesn't provide any simple answers, but yet leaves an idea that promise isn't always a search of endless misfortune, and maybe when all hope has failed us, and we stop trying to find any meaning, maybe...just maybe, it will find us. - Exodus 8:2 reads, "And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs." <img src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/Horror/Magnolia.jpg">

• Conner R

  
  Paul Thomas Anderson's most unique film and also probably one of his most powerful. It gives you a series of characters that you inevitably fall in love with and relate to. Not only is it a triumph in Anderson's style, but also a series of flawless performances from Tom… More
  Paul Thomas Anderson's most unique film and also probably one of his most powerful. It gives you a series of characters that you inevitably fall in love with and relate to. Not only is it a triumph in Anderson's style, but also a series of flawless performances from Tom Cruise, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore.

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