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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 source)
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Writer/director P.T. Anderson plays the stories off one another to great effect.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike DeWolfe
Mike DeWolfe
Apollo Guide

The acting is spellbinding and illustrates the dysfunctional core of humans at a level that exceeds most films.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
06/13/02
James Lap
James Lap
Apollo Guide

There's a lot of really neat, cool honestly imaginative stuff in Magnolia, but it's hardly the best movie I've seen in the past month.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
10/29/07
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Unlike the flashy but hollow Boogie Nights or the studied tough-guy attitude of Hard Eight, Magnolia grounds its stylistic pyrotechnics with genuine emotion.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Murray
Steve Murray
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Make no mistake, Magnolia is unlike any other film released this past year, be it from the aspect of its storylines, of which there are many, or its emotional clarity, which is, quite frankly, brutal.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Easily one of the best of the year.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Magnolia is Short Cuts with hope. It's my kind of mess.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It turns out that Anderson tends to mistake redundancy for depth.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
01/01/00
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

As in his brilliantly incisive Boogie Nights, Anderson here tells the tales of remorse and hope among the lonely, the misguided, the desperate.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christine James
Christine James
Boxoffice Magazine

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

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

How did Paul Thomas Anderson attain the pinnacle of self-indulgence so quickly?

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

A wonderful mess.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/28/08
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

The more you think about Magnolia -- the dry wit, the bravura staging, the intricate design, the wondrous performances -- the better and more unusual the film seems.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Anderson is still a solid talent, but he should remember to explore his ideas in depth as well as breadth.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

The film’s genius lies in Mr. Anderson’s brilliant construction, which weaves the stories together with dazzling elegance.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

Não é maravilhoso ser levado por um filme desta maneira?

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
05/31/02
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Ingenious film!

Full Review Source: CinemaSense.Com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Cornell & Petricelli
Cornell & Petricelli
CinemaSense.Com

Marks the arrival of a great, if not the greatest, modern director

Full Review Source: Cinematic Reflections | comment Comment
10/24/04
Derek Smith
Derek Smith
Cinematic Reflections
 
 
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Latest News for Magnolia

February 07, 2007: Ben Stiller & Tom Cruise: The New Hardy Boys?
Will Tom Cruise resort to comedy in an effort to salvage his semi-damaged image? And if so, is Ben Stiller to be his partner in hilarity? More...

November 21, 2006: Auteur Robert Altman Passes Away at 81
Robert Altman, the esteemed and venerable director of "M*A*S*H," "Nashville," and "The Player," died Monday from complications due to cancer. He... More...

June 09, 2005: Paramount Confirms "Mission: Impossible 3" is a Go
Just a day after dropping their proposed "Watchmen" adaptation, Paramount Pictures announced that "Mission: Impossible 3" will go into production on July... More...

May 26, 2005: Rhys-Myers and Monaghan Sign up for "MI: 3"
More...

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