209. Magnolia

Magnolia (1999)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Julianne Moore

William H. Macy

Tom Cruise

Philip Seymour Hoffman

John C. Reilly

Philip Baker Hall

IMDb Rating: 8

My Rating: 9

"and it's not going to stop / 'til you wise up"

Magnolia is a twenty-four hour journey into the lives of two separate groups of people. Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) has cancer, and is very close to dying. He tells his nurse Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) that he wants him to find his estranged son, who turns out to be men's self help author Frank T.J. Mackey (Tom Cruise). Earl's much younger wife Linda (Julianne Moore) is out getting the prescription drugs to help ease his pain. She stops by the lawyer in charge of Earl's will to explain that she did not love him at the time of their marriage, and wants to be taken out of the will. The lawyer informs her that since she is listed as sole beneficiary, the money would then go to Frank. This sends her into a fit of rage, increasing even more when she returns home to find that Phil has been instructed to get in contact with Frank.

Meanwhile, television quiz show host Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall), has been informed that he too is going to die. Jimmy goes to visit his cocaine addicted daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) to tell her the news. She is angered at the site of him, and causes a scene as she tells him to leave. The noise from the dispute alerts neighbors and they call the incident in. Police Officer Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly) is alerted to the call, and interviews Claudia in her apartment. After having a cup of coffee, Jim asks Claudia out on a date for that same evening. Claudia accepts the invitation, but it seems only to get Jim out of her apartment.

After leaving his daughter's apartment, Jimmy Gator heads to the studio to host his show, "What Do Kids Know." Here we meet young whiz kid Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) who's verbally abusive father has almost guided his success. Stanley is also two days away from setting the record for continuous days on the show, set by former contestant Donnie Smith (William H. Macy). Donnie's life since the show has been filled with misfortune not limited to having all his prize money stolen by his parents, getting struck by lightning, and most recently getting fired from his job. As each person continues on through the day, their two groups eventually intertwine to become one, all sharing the pain of life and opportunity lost.

As you can see from the description above, there is a lot going on in this film. The script, written by director Paul Thomas Anderson, is amazingly written and is a true look into the struggling human spirit. Where other films details and subplots might become scrambled, Magnolia never once falters. Not once do the stories become confusing or uninteresting. With the multiple stories involving two seperate groups, the three hour run time does go by pretty fast. Although, each story is given equal time to develop and mature, and the film leaves no loose ends to tie up. Given the complexity of Magnolia, I would venture to call it one of the best structured scripts of the last twenty years.

There are so many great performances in this film, but it's actually not difficult for me to single one of them out. Tom Cruise gives the finest performance of his career as Frank T.J. Mackey. When we first meet Frank, he seems to be nothing more than an egocentric alpha-male type. Cruise plays these scenes with incredible amounts of confidence and humor. It isn't until Frank is being interviewed for a television show that the truth behind his life comes out. Cruise's performance quickly goes from comedic, to vulnerable and disturbing. This first transition is excellent, but pales in comparison to when Cruise falls deeper into despair, as he angrily grieves for his father's apparent death. I think film lover's all have that one performance where they feel someone got robbed of an Oscar, Tom Cruise in Magnolia will always be mine.

Even though Magnolia is on this list, I still feel like it is never given the proper amount of respect. It's very rare that an ensemble of actors as talented as this, is paired with such an incredible script. Paul Thomas Anderson has a gift with these large ensemble films, and it has never come across better than it did here. His films have become smaller in scale with his two most recent efforts, and I hope that he eventually goes back to this style of film making. Overall, I encourage you all to watch this film. Every time I go back to it, I find another reason to love it. And if none of what I've said has convinced you to see the film, it eventually rains frogs. That's right frogs.

*Fun Trivia : Can anyone name the two other films where Tom Cruise sings in a car?