Review of Magnolia (1999) by Harvey L — 18 May 2016

Magnolia is a film that will explicitly transcend the typical plot of a movie-for better or for worse. Following a cast of characters for a single day in Los Angeles, their lives intersect and crash into each other. As pressures of the day cause them to irrevocably change their lives, they all must face the consequences down the road and meet their new realities. While no singular conflict exists, there are numerous parallels between the stories that unfold onscreen, among which, most notably, is a broken parent-child relationship: Tom Cruise plays a misogynistic strong man who gives testosterone filled speeches for men on how to seduce women, and it all becomes too clear his actions stem from the absence of his now dying father (Jason Robards). That father has a all-too-helpful nurse (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a now regretful trophy wife (Juliane Moore). On a seemingly unrelated story, John C. Reiley is a by-the-rules, bumbling cop who falls for Claudia (Melora Walters), who has her own drug and attachment issues from a less than perfect father (Philip Baker Hall). That father hosts a game show with children whose current star (Jerry Blackman) is facing abuse by his own father. Meanwhile, a past child star (William H. Macy) now has financial issues from his parents squandering his winnings and must face his own emotional troubles.

In what plays like a sophisticated Lifetime drama, these characters come to face their pasts and hope for a brighter future. However, with a confusing yet no less inspired ending, director Paul Thomas Anderson leaves the film as a question as to what is truly possible in connections and in relationships. Throughout the film, there are anecdotes about incredible coincidences and discussions about the fundamentals of movie plotpoints. Anderson leaves us wondering whether these resolved endings are truly possible in life. While it could be seen as a commentary on the ridiculousness of how some movies end, I have no doubt it is an inspiring message that allows people to try to achieve those happy endings that sometimes seemed to be trapped in the films we love to watch.

Magnolia is a very competent film: using songs by Aimee Mann, the film never falters from the bittersweet tone that encompasses life. Anderson utilizes the camera to never leave a dull moment, but by far, these actors' performances stand out above all. In what can only be described as Williams-esque, each actor gives a fully flushed out emotional journey that leaves not one person questioning the authenticity of each particular feeling. Tom Cruise particularly stands out, with a complexity and development that could surmount to the best of his career. All in all, Magnolia can hold its own. Although dragging its feet at times with filler, the entire experience is an enjoyable one; it's a film that will keep the characters in your heart, and its blatant, but no less timeless lessons in your life.