Review of Magnolia (1999) by Joe C — 04 Jan 2015

188 minutes. Nine lost, lonely and interconnected characters searching for love and meaning. One night in the San Fernando valley. No, Magnolia isn't one of the idiotic rom-coms with 80 beautiful people trying to find their soulmate before New Years or Valentine's Day.

Paul Thomas Anderson is at the helm, so naturally Magnolia is intricately patterned, immensely compelling, feverishly intense, deeply metaphorical and has a narrative as complex as the subject matter.

This movie is a living breathing being, with each character acting as one of the vital organs, unknowingly serving the same singular purpose. And everything from Paul Thomas Anderson's long continuous takes, to everyone singing Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" in an uncut montage, attests to Magnolia's message that not only do our actions affect others, but every life is bound together.

Magnolia is an unbelievably captivating film that builds its characters seamlessly, amasses suspense with no apparent effort and concludes with the most unpredictable and jaw-dropping finale ever. Although it may not be as unpredictable to those familiar with Exodus 8:2.

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