Review of Magnolia (1999) by Ahmedaiman9999 — 22 Aug 2018

How on earth there is a space for sympathetic characters, terrific performances, coherent drama, comedy, miraculously connected storylines, logical sense in such a bizarre lengthy mess of a movie?

Wait a second! .... am I not describing humans and their lives?

Blending realism with surrealism, Magnolia is one of Paul Thomas Anderson's works and ,definitely, his most ambitious one.

Every story is as rich and intriguing as their characters. Stories that are harmoniously told, and embellished with Aimee Mann's heavenly soundtrack. The result is a three-hour epic mosaic devoid of any moment of boredom.

I think Donnie Smith's story, William H. Macy's character, is the most profound and the richest one. Nevertheless, it's also the most poorly told one, comparing it to the others. It could have been explored more. I wish I was as invested in it as I respected it after it ended.

Also, the movie could have been less on exposition in terms of characters a little bit more. Because I think what I've seen from the fantastic acting and the masterful use of symbolism are more than enough to make everything clear.

That being said, these issues are almost indiscernible, and it was difficult for me to notice them.

Magnolia is not my favorite PTA film, but hands down it's the most entertaining one despite its long runtime.