Review of Magnolia (1999) by Rainer K — 18 Aug 2012

In Magnolia, P.T. Anderson gives us something we seldomly see on screen. Three epic hours of human conflict and relationships.

Three hours for a Robert Altman-style drama sounds like a long time but the film flies by and keeps you at the edge of your seat for most of the time.

Such an ambitious project wouldn't work with the right crew though but Anderson did a great job in finding the right actors for his characters thus assembled a star-studded cast. Tom Cruise got much of the attention, a bunch of awards and universal praise for his role, and deservingly so, but imo John C. Reilly is even better here. He plays an honest, dutiful cop with a big big heart and his scenes with Melora Walters are some of the best of the film.

Walters herself is also pretty darn good as the estranged daughter of a game show host with a dark past that led to cocaine addiction.

Her father is played by Philip Baker Hall, who plays the old dying husband/father/game show host (I haven't seen too many films with him but it seems like he's playing this role for over 10 years now...). He's one of the standouts as well.

I also liked Jeremy Blackman as one of the child contestants in Hall's show and Philip Seymour Hoffman who's as great as anyone as the nurse of Cruise's father.

As I list the different characters here you start to get an idea of how brilliantly connected all the storylines are, and yet, Magnolia never gets confusing thanks to excellent directing by Anderson. I guess, one of the reasons why it never bores you despite its runtime are the switches from one plot to another while never losing the golden thread.

Ambition and execution met here on a very high level and I recommend this little flick to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.