Rating: 
Summary: A challenging film
Review: I enjoyed MAGNOLIA, though I found it took time to really get into it, and really understand the ideas that they were trying to convey. What you have is a movie with several storylines going on, that don't really tie in at the end, however there is some sort of a resolution to everyone's story. The idea of the movie (at least to me) is that sometimes things just happen, and there is no real reason why they do. The majority of the characters in this movie are miserable. Their lives seem perfect to some from the outside, but when you get a look in their world you see it's anything but. That's also what the movie appears to be about. I applaud the film for good use of soundtrack, Aimee Mann's songs really add depth to the movie and are well used. The performances were well done, except I didn't enjoy Tom Cruise's overwraught acting (as usual). A lot of reviewers did not enjoy Julianne Moore, but I found her to be compelling in this role. It's a long movie, and takes time to sink in and really reveal itself. I do think it is worth it in the end, however, I think they could have tied things up better. The raining frogs bit was strange, but I guess it was to emphasize that sometimes crazy things just happen for no reason whatsoever.
Rating: 
Summary: Raining Frogs??!!
Review: Wow. Where do I start. Usually I don't go and buy movies "blind", but I figured with a cast like Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Jason Robards, et al, plus with all of the awards listed on the back of the box, sure why not? I'll give it a shot. What a pile of $#!&%*. Here's a summary in one brief description: Imagine Pulp Fiction - but the stories don't come together at any point in the movie. The intro to the was about freak occurances that are so way out there that they have to be more than coincidence. Seemed very intruiging. Three hours of screwed up people leading screwed up lives, and no common thread to be found anywhere. This was like six storylines that rode off into the sunset in different directions never to be seen again. I loved "Pulp Fiction". I loved "Two Days In The Valley". They were fragmented movies that came together at the end and were very entertaining. This movie was straight crap. Maybe you have to be artsy-fartsy to appreciate it, but let's get real here - raining FU&#%NG frogs??!! The geek who directed that should get a job, or at the very least a more meaningful hobby (like playing with his bellybutton). This movie absolutely blew!
Rating:
Summary: HIGHLY RECOMMEND(despite its flaws)
Review: P.T. Anderson shines in Magnolia, which, despite being a deeply flawed film in several ways, is the perfect showcase for this young directorial talent.His originality, quirkiness, and flair for drama shine through in this emotional, even epic film about one day involving the lives of many people.While they don't all tie together in the end, its clear that there are certain things which bond all these people together. But that's not really the point of this film, Im not quite sure what the point here is-hell, this is one hard movie to review, I'll just go ahead and give you the pros and consPros-
-very involving and unique script and storyline
-John C. Reily and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are excellent
-great ending
-despite its length of three hours, does not feel long, or slow at all(and I stress this point, do NOT believe whatyou have heard
-good use of soundtrack, and cinematography Cons-
-Tom Cruise and especially Julianne Moore overact to the point of humiliation -too many revelatory moments
-too much screaming and drama, and not enough depth at certain points However, despite the few cones, this is a great film VERY much worth viewing.It is not a film you'll soon forget, and of all the eight storylines and dozens of characters that exist in the film, not one ever becomes less compelling-and that is a truly stunning acheivement.Flawed, and at times overwrought, but in the end a brilliantly put together, deeply humane and touching human drama.
Rating: 
Summary: An introduction for me, to Aimee Mann
Review: The movie itself is a bit too melodramatic and "self-congratulatory", as others have said. However, I own the soundtrack, and THAT is something worth buying.
Rating: 
Summary: P.T. Anderson Has Crafted a Masterpiece
Review: Never before has a rainy, slate-gray afternoon held so much beauty, or so much meaning, as it does in Paul Thomas Anderson's emotionally jarring "Magnolia". Everything about this movie is completely realized: the characters are real, with true human faults, the directing is crisp and focused (and very succesfully transferred to DVD), and the story is first-rate with almost too many things to notice. Some people feel that three hours is too long (for almost any movie), but with voice-over narrations and ensemble singalongs overlapping the images on the screen and consuming the whole of the viewer's attention, one gets the feeling that the film could have easily patched on another hour with no loss to the overall satisfying impact of it.
P.T. Anderson has created a movie which everyone involved in it seems excited about. The entire cast deserves praise and plaudit, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly, who both deliver remarkable and touchingly unassuming performances. The sole weak link seems to be Julianne Moore (usually such a fine actress), who seems to base her performance on stuttered and staggered swearing, though she admirably freaks out quietly (but with grace) for a large portion of the movie.
Anderson's directing is, as always, innovative and interesting, and each of the shots has obviously been pretty heavily premeditated upon, lending the movie an air of tangible professionalism without sacrificing emotional validity. Much credit is owed also to the writing, which is as believable as dialogue can be. Also of note is the director of photography Robert Elswit's excellent lighting and Dylan Tichenor's practical and flowing editing.
The music only lends to the grandness of the enterprise, with sweeping compositions by Jon Brion, and apt melodies from Aimee Mann. Overall, this is one of those rare films where every element needed to make it great slips into place somehow, and what could have been a mess comes out cleanly. The DVD is a little light, though Aimee Mann's "Save Me" video and "Magnolia Diary" are both worthwhile views. Subtlety and eloquence abound in "Magnolia", and it should at least be admired, if not adored.
Rating:
Summary: A self-congratulatory waste of time
Review: I highly disliked this movie and rather begrudge PT Anderson for making something so bad for me to sit through. The movie is absolutely bursting with "artistic" elements, but overall they do more to obscure the main themes than they do to clarify them. Furthermore, there does not there seem to be any reason for them to be in the movie other than the intellectual self-gratification of the movie's creators. I found no sympathy with the main characters, who, for the most part, spent the movie wallowing in self-pity only to have all their problems solved by a contrived and completely nonsensical ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Magnolia... yawn
Review: Some aspects of Magnolia are good, but overall it's too long, too boring, and too exhausting to watch. The characters just don't stop whining and feeling sorry for themselves. The intro doesn't make sense in relation to the film itself, and the movie can't even decide whether it thinks ironic situations are mere coincidences or fate. At one point, it says "This cannot be just one of 'those things'", but at another time it says "These things just happen". The characters are not as intricately or ironically linked as the movie wants you to believe, and why do their lives all reach an emotional climax on the same day? It's not because they're linked... it's because the plot is forced. So what better way to cover up this mess and appear to be "deep" than to have a rain of frogs. Biblical? Random? Whatever.
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL film!
Review: Magnolia is one of my all time favorite films. Yes, it is very long, but definitely worth watching...over and over. PT Anderson did an amazing job of writing and directing....I am very disappointed this did not win any Academy Awards (and why wasn't Julianne Moore nominated?!) Watch it if you like deep films that force you to THINK.
Rating:
Summary: I keep coming back to this DVD
Review: "Magnolia" is a movie with so many parts hanging on the same theme that a surprising number of things I like keep bringing me back to this DVD. This week it was hearing the same version of the song "One" which has a chapter stop on the DVD near the beginning of the movie. I originally heard the Three Dog Night hit early in 1969, before I thought that rock 'n' roll was capable of illustrating any pure concepts more fundamental than a mathematics in which one and two compete for the honor of being the loneliest number, an honor which must be trivial, if not trite. The song "One" is the first song on the "Magnolia" soundtrack album, where there seems to be no reason for the song to start with a spoken phrase, "O.K., Mr. Mix!" Not in the movie, or on the DVD, the phrase surprised me even more when I heard a cassette version with vocal lead by Aimee Mann and "All instruments by Jon Brion" that was included in "For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson," a benefit tape with 24 performances released in 1995. You won't be able to find that collection now. I'm sure my tape was a special clearance deal that was cheap enough to distribute all existing copies, but the surprising thing is that Paul Thomas Anderson was so impressed by this particular song, great as it sounds on the "For the Love of Harry" tape, that listening to the song might be used as a foundation for understanding the 1999 movie "Magnolia." Nilsson had some cute moments, and background voices near the end of "One" rhyme `divided' with `they finally decided' the one thing for certain brings down the curtain because nothing keeps them together. The second song on the soundtrack album, "Momentum," is also a chapter stop on the DVD, for a scene in which John C. Reilly is playing a cop who has to shout over the music to tell an addicted fan that if she keeps listening to music that loud, even her neighbors are going to go deaf. In that case, I think "Magnolia" is forcing the audience to listen to Aimee Mann at high volume because people have not been paying enough attention to her. "Momentum" was not a big hit song, so the message must be in the theme, and forcing an addled fan to confront the law in the middle of the song adds a bit of force to that message, but a movie as awesome as "Magnolia" goes so far to illustrate the point that the song ultimately doesn't have much impact in the total scheme, until enough time has gone by to allow a dissection of the elements of this experience. Only a few characters in this movie are dying, but the idea that everyone else will be getting back to normal soon enough might give spectators the creeps.
Rating:
Summary: Uncomfortable to watch, but very moving
Review: There seems to be two main categories of comments on Magnolia. Those that thought it was brilliant and moving, and those that thought it lacked interconnectedness and was perhaps somewhat pedantic. While I can understand some of the later argument, I really can't agree with it. O.K., I concur that all the elements don't always appear to fit together as a seamless package. Got it. And that many of the characters who are not portrayed as typical "bad guys", nonetheless, have SIGNIFICANT flaws of moral character. And, of course, Tom Cruise's character does use the "C" word more than once. Still, this movie is, without a doubt, powerful and stirring. It WILL make you feel something and that is the true criterion by which to judge a movie such as this. As an aside, a suggestion for viewing. Pause for a moment after Aimee Mann's "Save Me" musical montage if you need a little break. The beauty of a DVD (or VHS) format is that you can pause for a bit, and it is appopriate in a film such as this. I don't feel like there is any urgent momentum to be lost at this point. Bottom line. This movie has great power. Admittedly, there are many who will most assuredly not enjoy it, but I would urge anyone to give a viewing. Just don't expect any great moral clarity, or for everything to be nicely wrapped up at the end. That's what action/adventure is for. Try to enjoy it for what it is, and not what you might wish it could be.
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