A wonderful mess.
Magnolia (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:25
Rotten:7
Average Rating:6.8/10
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
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Reviews for Magnolia
What this film may have needed to get on its feet is some honest-to-goodness violence.
You don't have to like everything [Anderson] does, but if you enjoy seeing the walls rattled and the roof raised in the Hollywood citadel, you've got to love it.
Magnolia makes it three-for-three for writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson
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.
Anderson was better off dealing with what goes into the mouths of babes than what comes out of them.
Anderson considers himself an actor's director, but he's something far less romantic: a star-struck enabler.
Nearly as impressive as Anderson's rapport with his actors is his use of parallel action to juggle their performances.
Those who 'get' the film are in for something that ranks as more of a cinematic experience than a mere movie.
What Anderson lacks in substance is offset by his great skill with actors, his gift for shaping resonant little individual vignettes and his extraordinary intuition.
An impressive piece of work with some fine acting that makes holding our interest for three-plus hours seem easy.
Standout performances include those given by Waters, Reilly, and especially Tom Cruise, ferociously alive after sleepwalking through that Kubrick movie.
The botanical implications are apt: Paul Thomas Anderson's big, showy flower of a movie unfurls brilliantly.
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:
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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"
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
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