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Movies / On DVD / Magnolia
Magnolia

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Magnolia (1999)

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Reviews Counted:136

Fresh:113

Rotten:23

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: Critics say Magnolia is an ambitious, lengthy work that ultimately succeeds due to the interesting stories and excellent ensemble performances.

Runtime: 3 hrs 8 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: In a single day in Los Angeles, a number of interconnected lives are changed forever. A lonely police officer (John C. Reilly) falls in love with a disturbed cocaine addict (Melora Walters). Her... In a single day in Los Angeles, a number of interconnected lives are changed forever. A lonely police officer (John C. Reilly) falls in love with a disturbed cocaine addict (Melora Walters). Her father (Philip Baker Hall), the host of the game show "What Do Kids Know?" has terminal cancer and tries to make amends for his past mistakes. A former champion of the show (William H. Macy) struggles to find love while the current champion (Jeremy Blackman) suffocates under the pressures of being a boy genius. An elderly man (Jason Robards) lies on his deathbed, tended by nurse Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman), while his trophy wife (Julianne Moore) wrestles with grief and guilt, and his estranged son (Tom Cruise), an infomercial host, teaches workshops on how to trick women into having sex. Throughout all of this, past deeds are lamented and strange forces loom in the air. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to BOOGIE NIGHTS is an extravagant, emotional epic inspired by such films as Robert Altman's NASHVILLE and SHORT CUTS, with a sprawling cast of characters searching for love and meaning in a chaotic world. The cast delivers uniformly excellent performances, most notably Tom Cruise's Oscar-nominated role as the sleazy Frank T.J. Mackey. [More]

Starring: John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Starring: John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Melora Walters, William H. Macy, Jeremy Blackman, Michael Bowen, Melinda Dillon, April Grace, Luis Guzmán, Alfred Molina, Michael Murphy, Felicity Huffman, Henry Gibson

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Screenwriter: Paul Thomas Anderson
Producer: Joanne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson
Composer: Jon Brion

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 29, 2000

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Reviews for Magnolia

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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What this film may have needed to get on its feet is some honest-to-goodness violence.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment 7 Comments
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I went into Magnolia like a kid running onto a beach with a pail and shovel ready to explore, only to find myself neck deep in quicksand three hours later, screaming for help.

comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Graham Verdon
Graham Verdon
TNT's Rough Cut

Anderson has efficiently sabotaged and humiliated himself.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

An incredibly pretentious film in search of a point.

Full Review Source: Needcoffee.com | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

What, ultimately, *is* this jumbled mess about, anyway?

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment 1 Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

Sprawling mess of a film.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Paul Tatara
Paul Tatara
CNN.com

Magnolia is the kind of film I instinctively respond to. Leave logic at the door. Do not expect subdued taste and restraint, but instead a kind of operatic ecstasy.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Simply compelling.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

Magnolia's finest achievement is the sheer ambition running through every vein.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
04/28/08
Channel 4 Film

Speaks to us from places we know all too well – the dark side of the morning, and the solitary depths of the human heart.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
04/17/01
Andrew Howe
Andrew Howe
eFilmCritic.com

Magnolia is a deeply felt kitchen sink movie reminiscent, in a good way.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

Jason Robards gives the performance of his career as a terminally ill man trying to contact his son: He's so convincing, you fear for Robards' own health.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bill Pearis
Bill Pearis
Citysearch

Magnolia is real, full-tilt filmmaking, seducing our souls and nervous systems with a sensory, kinesthetic rush.

Full Review Source: Newhouse News Service | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Campbell
Bob Campbell
Newhouse News Service

In the most amazing performance of many here, Tom Cruise plays the charismatic guru of a cultish self-help 'seminar' for would- be macho lady-killers.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Magnolia is the only true end-of-the-millennium masterpiece, an achievement that will be hard to match for many years to come.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Fancy stuff. Fanciful, too. There are lots of put-ons, a few put-downs, and some compelling revelations about human nature.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson
Jam! Movies

Contains moments of considerable beauty, terror, and insight.

Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

Anderson was better off dealing with what goes into the mouths of babes than what comes out of them.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Salon.com

A fascinating film from a director of great skill and even greater promise.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Charlie McCollum
Charlie McCollum
San Jose Mercury News

A bold move for Anderson, an amazing display of acting for Tom Cruise, and one of the best films of 1999.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Chris Gore
Chris Gore
Film Threat
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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Latest News for Magnolia

February 07, 2007: Ben Stiller & Tom Cruise: The New Hardy Boys?
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