Review of Magnolia (1999) by Tyler M — 31 Mar 2012

What can we forgive?

A beautifully epic drama surrounding a collection of characters each desperately searching for some form of redemption.

The Story: A bit difficult to explain, but here goes anyway... An old man fighting off his own personal demons, lies on his death bed, his gold-digging young wife battles with the guilt of being unfaithful, his nurse frantically tries to get in touch with his long lost son, his long lost son, a man who has made a living as a womanizer attempts to come to grips with who he really is, a young boy genius deals with a father forcing him to compete on a national game show, a former child star (once) a boy genius seeks love and acceptance, a bumbling cop fails in his attempts to be taken seriously as he falls for a young woman addicted to cocaine, the young coke addicts father, who happens to host the TV show featuring the boy genius, seeks repentance for his sins against his own family. It's quite a bit to take in and the film itself is a pretty big investment, clocking in right around the three hour mark. Obviously it's not for everyone, those who don't want a deep albeit time consuming character driven drama should probably look elsewhere. Those looking for a story so soaked in symbolism it makes your head hurt get comfy because there's a lot to think about. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not the sharpest tack, and there's a lot that surely went over my head, but it's still no less enjoyable... I watched this for the first time when I was 15 or 16, watching it than I couldn't fully grasp every concept in the film... Watching it again 9 years later at 24 there's still moments I don't quite understand. Like I said, it's an investment.

The Cast: The cast list is almost as long as the movie itself but once again here we go...

Julianne Moore ... Linda Partridge.

William H. Macy ... Donnie Smith.

John C. Reilly ... Officer Jim Kurring.

Tom Cruise ... Frank T.J. Mackey.

Philip Baker Hall ... Jimmy Gator.

Philip Seymour Hoffman ... Phil Parma.

Jason Robards ... Earl Partridge.

Melora Walters ... Claudia Wilson Gator.

Ricky Jay ... Burt Ramsey / Narrator.

Jeremy Blackman ... Stanley Spector.

Jason Robards, is Earl Partridge. Lying on his death bed he struggles against personal demons, past regrets and seeks forgiveness from his astranged son Frank T.J. Mackey. His performance is minimal as he's a frail old man he doesn't have too much face time with the camera, but what is there, is outstanding none-the-less. Tom Cruise is Frank T.J. Mackey, a celebrity, a king among loser men. He's made a living off being a womanizer, teaching men how to manipulate women to bend them to their will. A powerful performance, he's a truly dispicable character, it won't be until the very end that you witness any sort of humanity from him. Some of his best, most energetic work to date. Julianne Moore is Linda Partrige, the gold-digging young wife. Fighting the guilt of mistreating her husband, she finds it's too late for redemption. In the beginning she only wanted his money, but over time she grew to love him, as she took care of him for so many years. I've yet to see Moore give a better performance in any of her other works. Truly phenomenal. Philip Seymour Hoffman is Phil Parma, Earl Partridge's nurse. Bedside talking to Earl, taking care of him in his final hours, he learns of Frank and does everything in his power to honor Earls final wishes of seeing him. It's not his most notable performance but it's definitely something to write home about. A smaller role, but still an amazing performance. William H. Macy is kind of a character unto himself as Donny Smith, a former child star who was once known for being a child genius on a television game show. There's a lot to learn about this character and his story is told more bluntly than anyone else's. He gives a moving and powerful performance, though his tie to other characters isn't quite as pronounced. Jeremy Blackman is Stanly Spector, the current child genius. His father pushes him onto the stage every week so that he can get richer and richer. His story parallels the story of Donny Smith, one being young with a future ahead of him, the other being older and more washed up. Somewhat of a grim future for this prodigy, though you never feel like Stanley will follow the same loose footsteps as Donnie Smith. He gives an outstanding performance all around. It's a shame we don't see him in more productions. Philip Baker Hall is Jimmy Gator, a dying game show host battling cancer and a dark past. Trying to come to grips with his terminal illness, he attempts to put up a strong front, letting only a select few in on his secret. He gives a great performance, though it's not the films most notable. Melora Walters is Claudia Wilson Gator, the coke addicted daughter of Jimmy Gator. An outstandingly high strung performance here as she, like every other character is trying desperately to fight off her own personal demons. Arguably the films brightest star. Last but certainly not least, John C. Reilly, as Officer Jim Kurring, a bumbling police officer searching for acceptance on the force as well as acceptance of God as well as acceptance of a young woman. While investigating a noise complaint, he meets Claudia Gator. A bit naive he doesn't realize the mess of problems she has. Adding a bit of comic relief to the film he's a lovable character when he needs to be, and a seriously dramatic character when the film script calls for it. I don't care what anybody says, this to me, is his greatest role. He just doesn't get any better... Oh, almost forgot! Ricky Jay as Burt Ramsey... He only has a handful of lines, and you really never see him, but as the films narrator he is indeed a key member of the cast. A simple onlooker to the events that unfold before your very eyes. A great voice.

One to Five Scale: 5.

If it's your thing, you'll love it. If it's not your thing, you'll undoubtedly hate it... To put it another way, if you like films like American Beauty, Little Children, or Playing by Heart, than you'll find a lot to enjoy here.

Tyler.