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Movies / On DVD / Magnolia
Magnolia

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Magnolia (1999)

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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

[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 date)
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A wonderful mess.

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

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
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All the work is top-notch.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Jeff Millar
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
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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.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/22/02
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
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Magnolia makes it three-for-three for writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/10/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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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
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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
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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
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Magnolia towers over most Hollywood films this year.

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek
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Anderson considers himself an actor's director, but he's something far less romantic: a star-struck enabler.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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A remarkably inventive and audacious film.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/01/00
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
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What leaves you breathless, though, is the knockout acting by the cast.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Ernest Hardy
Ernest Hardy
Film.com
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Nearly as impressive as Anderson's rapport with his actors is his use of parallel action to juggle their performances.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
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Those who 'get' the film are in for something that ranks as more of a cinematic experience than a mere movie.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
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Too lengthy and jangled to properly serve Anderson's purpose.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News
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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.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
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Magnolia is Short Cuts with hope. It's my kind of mess.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
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An impressive piece of work with some fine acting that makes holding our interest for three-plus hours seem easy.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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Standout performances include those given by Waters, Reilly, and especially Tom Cruise, ferociously alive after sleepwalking through that Kubrick movie.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kevin Maynard
Kevin Maynard
Mr. Showbiz
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The botanical implications are apt: Paul Thomas Anderson's big, showy flower of a movie unfurls brilliantly.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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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...

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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...

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More...

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