After the success of the 1997 porno-drama Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson was clearly becoming one of the newest and brightest of film directors in bringing an alternative to the post-Tarantino world of violence. The success of Boogie Nights and the cult status of his 1996 debut feature Hard Eight (aka Sydney) gave P.T. Anderson a devoted following as everyone was waiting for his next project. Channeling the influence of Robert Altman like he did in Boogie Nights, Anderson goes for another multi-layered story filled with coincidences, chance, redemption, and death in an epic-style drama filled with many assorted characters entitled Magnolia.

Written and directed by P.T. Anderson, Magnolia chronicles one day in the life of many people including a loser salesman, a cop, and a wife who realizes that she loves her husband while his estranged son is a conflicted self-help guru. With many stories involved including a child dealing with the pressures to win a game show while the show's dying host is dealing with his own problems including his self-destructive daughter's behavior. Using elements like coincidences and failure to connect all the central characters of the film, Anderson creates a fascinating, heartbreaking drama that would represent the peak of his brilliance.

Starring P.T. Anderson regulars like Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Melora Walters, William H. Macy, Luis Guzman, and Alfred Molina plus Jason Robards, Felicity Huffman, Melinda Dillon, Michael Bowen, April Grace, Michael Murphy, Jeremy Blackman, and Tom Cruise. Magnolia is P.T. Anderson's most realized and ambitious film of his young career.

It's a usual day in Los Angeles as Claudia (Melora Walters) is in her usual self-destructive binge of drugs and sex while her father, legendary game show host Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker Hall) is about to be in his 12,000 hour of broadcasting. One man named Donnie Smith (William H. Macy) was only 10 years old as a child when he won on Jimmy's show back in 1968 while he's trying to get corrective teeth surgery. Around the same time, Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) is dying as he is in the care of a nurse named Phil (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) while Earl's wife Linda (Julianne Moore) is running errands. Earl's estranged son Frank T.J. Mackey (Tom Cruise) is about to do another of seminars into controlling relationships for men. A kid named Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman) is about to study for Jimmy Gator's game show while his father Rick (Michael Bowen) is doing auditions. Finally, a cop named Jim (John C. Reilly) is about start a day of duties.

Jim's day begins strangely as he calls into some disturbance from a woman named Marcie (Cleo King) only to find a dead body in her closet. His day later ends when a rapping kid named Dixon (Emmanuel Johnson) tells him who did through rhymes as Jim thinks it's just a joke. Linda is talking to a doctor about Earl's chances as she wonder if he has anything to live with while Earl is pondering his own death to Phil as he calls for one more day with his estranged son Frank. Frank is doing a seminar while a reporter named Gwenovier (April Grace) is planning to interview him. Claudia meanwhile, receives an unexpected visit from Jimmy who tells her that he's dying but her anger towards him forces him to leave as his hopes for a reconciliation is dim. After a crash into a 7-11 and being late on his TV salesman job again, his boss Solomon (Alfred Molina) has no choice to fire because of his lateness and that his sales are down with his name being no help.

Stanley rushes to get through the studio with help from production assistant Cynthia (Felicity Huffman) while Jimmy calls his wife Rose (Melinda Dillon) to tell him his problems earlier with Claudia. Claudia continues to self-destruct as Jim starts to come in to investigate a disturbance. Jim finally comes in as over a disturbance as he falls for Claudia the first time he sees her and the two immediately talk that later leads to a possible date. With Earl dying, Phil does what he asks as he tries to find the number of Frank as he goes through several of Frank's people including his assistant (voice of Mary Lynn Rajskub) while Frank is doing his interview with Gwenovier. Donnie later goes to a bar offering love to a young bartender named Brad (Craig Kvinsland) while talking about his failure and how his parents took his money when he was a kid to a man named Thurston Howell (Henry Gibson).

After going through fights with pharmacists and other doctors, Linda talks to her attorney lawyer Alan Kligman, Esq. (Michael Murphy) as she finally confesses about why she should be removed from his will. Donnie breaks down while Gwenovier finally breaks through Frank's macho image into revealing his past while he gets a call from his assistant about Phil. Jimmy goes through his game show routine with support from his assistant Burt (Ricky Jay) but loses it while Stanley, who wants to go to the bathroom, finally loses control as his father loses it. Linda returns home to learn that Phil was trying to call Frank but doesn't want him to have any of Earl's money either and Jim loses his gun as he tries to catch a supposed killer.

After apologizing to Phil over her outbursts, Linda leaves home as Earl makes a statement about regret as he admits to making so many mistakes in his life, especially with Frank who he reveals by his real name. Frank finally falls apart after his interview during his seminar. With Linda facing her own guilt, Frank finally decides to confront Earl. Meanwhile, Jim and Claudia go on a date where the two admit to their own problems while Jimmy confesses to Rose about his sins including his failure of communication with Claudia over a dark family secret. Stanley breaks into his school library to read books while Donnie decides to steal from Solomon by breaking into his store. Finally, everyone faces their own conscious through one moment.

While the film and its overlapping storylines might include many influences from Robert Altman, P.T. Anderson definitely goes for that style to bring something that is very ambitious while using that to make a film about one simple theme, love. Some might call this an existential film of sorts or a psychological drama or an epic drama or anything yet it's definitely one of the most original films of the decade. Particularly the way the film carries so many stories without losing track of its theme and major characters. Every character in that film is connected to another, one way or later on.

What makes the film so interesting is its epic-length structure where none of the subplots lose itself or becomes a distraction. Anderson carefully constructs each scene and each act into what the film's theme is about. The first six minutes has an eerie prologue that returns later on in the third act with a narrator (the voice of Ricky Jay) talking about coincidences. Then, eight minutes go by into the first act where Anderson introduces all of the major characters in the film. The first act is really about all of those characters, their troubles, and what kind of people they are. The second act is them exposing themselves, trying to hide from reality or deal with simple problems like Stanley wanting to go to the bathroom or Phil trying to reach Frank. The dialogue throughout the film, though stylized is very real once it comes to an emotional breaking point which leads to the film's third act.

The third act of the film is those characters dealing with confrontation, guilt, failure, and desperation while the emotions and situations become more complex. With the rain being a part of the second act of the film, the rain dies down and we see every character stripped-down to their real selves no matter what the audience thinks of them, it's the payoff that matters in the end. This of course, (for those who haven’t seen the film) comes one of those moments that can be described as What the f*ck? There, the film shifts into something that is really mind boggling and then talking about it afterwards into an understanding, particularly with the film's prologue.

If Anderson's ambitions as a writer reaches new heights, so does his directing as he continues to create long, running steadicam shots that would go on for a few minutes in one take. His presentation is very linear though it shifts back and forth into one story and into another where in the second act, it creates all sorts of tension that definitely sets up a classic moment in terms of its emotions. Even in the some scenes, he creates tense atmosphere for the characters that would lead to them reaching some emotional breaking point. It's some of the finest directing that has been captured onto a film.

Helping Anderson in his vision is longtime cinematographer Robert Elswit. Elswit's cinematography is filled with amazing lighting, notably in the exterior night sequences that is filled with a lot of atmosphere with a bit of grainy yet dreamy imagery that complements Los Angeles in its beauty. In interior scenes, the film is well-lit which helps create the tension of the film. Editor Dylan Tichenor helps create the multiple storyline of Anderson's script, notably the second act where the film is cut very swiftly but is given enough time for each character to tell their story. Production designers William Arnold and Mark Bridges help create atmosphere in the film's look including the bar scene that is filled with an intimacy and tension to the film. Mark Bridges also brings in some great costume, notably the loser clothing for William H. Macy, and the posh clothing of Julianne Moore.

The film's soundtrack even helps to tell the story whether its Emmanuel Johnson rapping or Gabrielle playing in Donnie Smith's car. Even Supertramp appears in a couple of songs in the bar that Donnie goes to. Yet the score is dominated by the score of Jon Brion that brings a lot of atmosphere and tension to the film with additional contributions from P.T. Anderson's then-girlfriend Fiona Apple who adds a lot of piano flourishes to Brion's score. Then there's the music of Aimee Mann who dominates many of the film's music including a cover of Harry Nilsson's One as well as a few cuts including the Oscar-nominated Save Me and the song Wise Up where each major character gets to sing a verse in one of the film's most emotional scene.

Then there's the film's amazingly glorious ensemble cast that includes great small performances from Anderson regulars like Luis Guzman, Alfred Molina, and Ricky Jay who also does a fine job in the narration of the prologue. Also noted for small performances are the kids Emmanuel Johnson, Natalie Marston and Bobby Brewer as Stanley's partners in the game, plus pre-Desperate Housewife maiden Felicity Huffman in a small role, Henry Gibson as a rival for Donnie for the affections of a bartender, Michael Bowen as Stanley's greedy father, and Michael Murphy as Linda's attorney. In smaller but very important roles, April Grace does an excellent job in her performance as Frank Mackey's interviewer who doesn't get herself intimidated by Mackey's presence. Cleo King is also wonderful as Marcie, the woman who is suspected of a murder in the film's first major scene. Melinda Dillon is amazing as Jimmy Gator's wife who has her moment in the scene when Jimmy confesses about his secrets as she brings her best dramatic moment.

Phillip Baker Hall gives a great performance as the dying, regret-filled Jimmy Gator who starts off with an iconic status but his exterior is stripped down as Hall brings a performance that is nothing short of brilliance. Another veteran actor who shines in one of his final performances is Jason Robards as the dying Earl Partridge who is filled with regret and anger in a way that only Robards can do as he gives a performance that goes out in a graceful, masterful way. Melora Walters is also excellent as the troubled, lonely Claudia with her desire to self-destruct and not be with anyone until John C. Reilly comes and gives her a bit of hope as Walters shines in her performance. Reilly is also amazing as the lonely cop Jim who tries to do the right thing but one mental mistake brings him to an emotional breakdown as he leans to Claudia for support. William H. Macy gives another great performance in playing another loser as Macy brings a lot of angst and heartbreak into his performance as a lonely man who is filled with a lot of conflict and his desire to bring love.

Jeremy Blackman gives a riveting performance as Stanley who is smart but once the pressure to continue comes in, all he wants to do is go to the bathroom. Blackman brings a lot of sympathy and angst to his role as a kid whose simple desire is ignored as he realizes that he's become a puppet of sorts with only one man sympathizing with him. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives a great supporting performance as Phil who nurses Earl and is always at his side. Hoffman has great scenes with Robards as he desperately takes care of him, no matter how bad he is as Hoffman brings a character who doesn't go into a change but it's his heart and role that shows a true example of a true supporting character.

Julianne Moore gives another amazing performance in a P.T. Anderson film as a guilt-ridden woman who is desperately realizing her sins. Moore brings a lot of theatrics to her role as well as a lot of emotions as she plays a character whose actions are unforgivable as she asks to be punished for her sins. It's truly one of her more remarkable performances that leads to a troubling aftermath as Moore's desperation truly gives her character something that she really needed in the film's theme. Now many people might have opinions about Tom Cruise as an actor but his performance as Frank T.J. Mackey is probably the best performance of his entire career. Cruise early brings in a lot of intensity with a winning personality and presence with one great line. "Respect the c*ck and tame the c*nt!" Cruise goes for intimidation and fire early on but once his true character is revealed, he brings a lot of restraint to his role until the third act when he gives out some great, fiery emotions in his scene with Jason Robards.

When Magnolia came out in late 1999, the film received glorious reviews as well as three Oscar nominations for Original Screenplay, Best Original Song Save Me by Aimee Mann, and a Supporting Actor nomination for Tom Cruise. Unfortunately, despite Cruise's star power and the critical acclaim, the $25 million budgeted film with a running time of over three hours didn't bring in a wide audience. Despite a lot of buzz, the film was too troubled for its commercial potential despite being a bigger hit on video/DVD and frequent playing on IFC. Still, the film proved that P.T. Anderson was a remarkable talent as he would return in 2002 with his dreamy, romantic drama Punch-Drunk Love starring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson with P.T. regulars Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Luis Guzman.

While not as entertaining as Boogie Nights, Magnolia is still an amazing, sprawling masterpiece from Paul Thomas Anderson. With a great cast, an amazing script and direction plus a great crew and soundtrack. There's a lot that is to be enjoyed for the film. While it's a long film, it doesn't move slow or doesn't move too fast. It just moves right with the audience being aware of all the characters and situations for going on. Anyone who is interested in P.T. Anderson will find Magnolia to be a great introduction since it's really his best film to date.

P.T. Anderson Reviews:

Sydney/Hard Eight

Boogie Nights

Punch-Drunk Love

There Will Be Blood

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age