Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: Despite what many other people felt, I didn't like 'Boogie Nights," Paul Thomas Anderson's second film, very much. I thought it was a little drawn out and that a little more editing could have hurt it much. I also found it to be a bit depressing. P.T. Anderson's first film, "Hard Eight" was not great, but it's worth watching. "Magnolia" (named for the street on which the film opens with - after the film's prologue) is easily P.T. Anderson's best film and also one of the year's best films. I enjoyed the film more than any other I saw this year, but I feel "American Beauty" was a better film and deserving of the Academy Award for Best Picture. I feel that Tom Cruise was robbed of the award for Best Supporting Actor (Michael Caine? Yes, he did a good job in "The Cider House Rules," a GOOD job, but that accent seemed a bit off and Tom Cruise, Haley Joel Osment, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Jude Law all gave better performances). The film also should have won Best Original Screenplay (or possibly also "Being John Malkovich"). But, of course the film won nothing, and only received three nominations (it was also nominated for Best Song - Aimee Mann. I know, that's not the best song in the movie, but the song the whole cast sings along with was written for "Jerry Maguire' and thus not allowed to be submitted). Everyone should see "Magnolia" once it is released on video. The performances are some of the best any of these actors/actresses have ever given. Writer/director P.T. Anderson delivers a brilliant script as well as incredibly directing. The way he used the songs to tie one scene to the next is incredibly original (not to mention the scene were the cast sings along to Mann's song, and the other very bizarre scene involving frogs). The film deserved to make ten times as much as it did at theaters, but I hope people will have heard about it and will rent it or buy this masterpiece. If it's at all possible, this is a great film to see at theaters but if it's not, RENT/BUY THIS MOVIE!
Rating:
Summary: ONE HELLUVA MOVIE
Review: To those who questioned why this movie is called "Magnolia", I mean, DUH, can Anderson be more blatant with his symbollism! He's saying that life mirrors nature- that life's imperfections, indeosyncratic ripples, and poignant stories all interconnect and depend on one another. *sigh* It's like America isn't ready for this kind of spiritual wonder and exploration. Anyway, Aimee Mann's soundtrack caps of this fulfillment of one of the greatest motion pictures every made- the camera angles, the character devlopment...Boogie Nights showed some of his stuff. Magnolia writes Anderson in the pages of cineamatic history.
Rating:
Summary: Moving!
Review: I'm not much of a fan of musical sequences, but when the characters in Magnolia broke out into song I have to admit that I was moved. Only P.T. Anderson could handle a scene such as that and make it not be corny. The story itself drags a little bit at times, but the Aimee Mann tunes cover up for that. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that Tom Cruise can actually act (who knew?), and his scenes are some of the most hilarious that I have ever seen. William H. Macy plays a loser to the fullest extent, as he did in Boogie Nights, and I found myself feeling extremely sorry for his character. I think that the thing I like best about P.T. Anderson's movies is the fact that his characters seem like real people to me, not the glossed over characters that appear in most movies. A lot happens in this movie, and it's sometimes hard to know what to focus on, but I loved the intertwining story lines and trying to guess how the characters were going to be related.
Rating:
Summary: ORIGINAL AND MOVING FILMMAKING
Review: It seems that the reviews for this film run like it's length so I will try to be short. This is a film that examines the tragedy of neglect from every angle. Neglected children, lovers, parents and friends. The power of this film is however the brilliant directors ability to blend these stories into a tale of the bizzare and the unusual through one day in the San Fernando Valley. Admittedly this film isn't for everyone but for anyone who enjoys a taste of the bizzare or can enjoy unique filmmaking for it's originality this film is for you. The mix of characters are moving and the stories can make you think and make you cry. Next to American Beauty this is my favorite film of 1999.
Rating:
Summary: A Touch Of Pure Genius
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson IS the most creative, most brilliant, most daring writer/director of all time. From the moment I saw this exellent example of human behavior and life I was full of different emotions that I never experienced in a theater. Thank you PTA for being the first writer, that I know, to write from your gut. I was literally swept away from each and every cast member's preformance and I marvel at the symbolism and irony that this film captures. It surpised me. It shocked me. It made me think! Magnolia has so much to offer a person. I wish that people could see what Magnolia offered me. And for that, Magnolia is my favorite film of all time! KUDOS TO EVERYONE THAT WAS APART OF MAGNOLIA!
Rating:
Summary: Best Movie of the year!
Review: This may sound utterly snobbish of me, but in my experience only real movie fans are the people who loved Magnolia. Why did Magnolia repel so many? Well there are the obvious reasons like length (the movie clocks in at over three hours), too many characters and perhaps because the movie is just too hard to follow. That really is nothing to be scared of though. If you truly appreciate the art of filmaking and appreciate things like screenplay and directing instead of going for gooey entertainment then Magnolia will blow you away. Magnolia's plot is not absolutely crucial. Basically it is about the lives of many people on a regular day in LA. There are about ten characters who are prominent and Paul Thomas Anderson cleverly weaves their stories together over the course of the film. To go into each of these characters would be spoiling the movie as it is essentially a character study. But it can be said that all of these characters have a flaw that they all must confront at some point in the movie. Weather it be narcissist Tom Cruise, his dying Father played by Jason Robards, jittery cop John C. Reilly or a retrospective William H. Macy contemplating how much better his life was when he was younger. Symbolism is prevelant all throughout Magnolia. The most obvious symbolic refernce is to a biblical passage, Exodus 8:2. This becomes a huge factor at the end of the film. I must confess that I did not understand the biblical refernce at all until it was explained to me after the film. Then suddenly I realized that the number 8:2 had been popping up all over the place throughout the film. Like the first time you see "The Sixth Sense", you will go over the movie in your mind after it is all over and realize how should have figured it out from the beginning. Paul Thomas Anderson does a beautiful job writing and directing this film. The screenplay juggles each of his richly developed characters so that all of them seem convincing and powerful. It is evident in watching Magnolia that Paul Thomas Anderson has seen perhaps too many Martin Scorsese films as most of his camera shots are built upon Scorsese's. This is only a minor quibble with another wise perfect film. Watch Magnolia and be prepared to think and acknowledge every aspect of the film. If you plan to watch it with six other people and everyone will talking throughout then you might as well not put it on because you'll be ruining it.
Rating:
Summary: Should have been Best Picture
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson is absolutely brilliant. The idea of taking an artist's music and basing a movie on it is one of the most creative things I have ever seen. If you haven't already seen the movie, I suggest listening to the soundtrack first in order to get a feel for the movie. One of the best movies ever, it was all I could think about for the next two weeks.
Rating:
Summary: We may be through with the past...
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson is very good at what he does. His first film "Hard Eight", attracts you just for the pleasure of hearing the dialog roll off of the actor's tongues. His follow-up "Boogie Nights" has a style and character development like no other. I remember the night before "Magnolia" was released. I was watching "Hard Eight" and I said to myself, "It is going to be hard to top this." The next day at noon I found myself sitting in the theater in anticipation, waiting for the dimming of the house lights. "Magnolia"'s opening sequence follows three unrelated stories and the unbelievable circumstances that they involve. After the ten minute sequence, the screen went to black and the title sequence began. I found it close to impossible to follow what was happening on screen because my mind was still absorbed with what I had just seen. What I saw was the work of a master story teller. The first ten minutes of "Magnolia" put to shame most movies I had seen in the year before. It was astounding, and I knew I was in for something beautiful, if not incredible. "Magnolia" combines both aspects of a great film. Great dialogue and character development. As well as a cinematic style that can only be referred to as second to none. Paul Thomas Anderson is a listener and an observer. He sees everyday life, everyday people and can transfer it to film flawlessly. The characters in "Magnolia" are honest, real people. The cast includes: Julianne Moore (Without a doubt, the best actress working today), Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly , William H. Macy (Three gentlemen who bring something to their profession that has been missing for a long time: Honesty)Phillip Baker Hall(Whose stone faced portrayal is one for the books), Melora Walters(I've never disliked or wanted hug a character so much)and veterans Jason Robards(An understated, Oscar worthy performance)and Tom Cruise(Whose sex-guru is too sweet a departure from his normal fare to not garner an Oscar Nomination). Anderson uses these players to paint a picture on the screen that in not just beautiful and heartbreaking but true. People have complained about it's length and to me it is not an issue. I have seen it eight times. Some find that excessive, but my reasoning behind this is the fact that every time I sit in that theater, there is something new to discover. Whether it be in performances, or just background action, it is a different experience every time I see it. "Magnolia" is a puzzle that truly is what you make of it. I'm not going to give anything away, but "Magnolia" has an astoudingly jaw dropping ending of biblical proportions that will either have you walking out of the theater, scratching your head or yearning for another 3 hours worth. Paul Thomas Anderson has been compared to Scorsese and Altman, Even ridiculed by some for his "blatant ripoffs" of their films. There are similarities, but NEVER has either director brought so much heart to the screen. Never. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of both directors, But if Anderson is using their techniques, he has taken them to a new level and given them a twist so that he will be the standard by which other's are judged. See "Magnolia" with an open mind and you will enjoy it for the work of art that it is. Both funny and heatbreaking, I've never been more taken with a film.
Rating:
Summary: "And so it goes, and so it goes...", a one-of-a-kind film
Review: Some call him self-indulgent (and he admits it.) Some call him a maverick (and he is.) I will call him this - a very good filmmaker - plain and simple. Paul Thomas Anderson keeps the consistency level on the upside with "Magnolia," a vibrant, frenzied and unpredictable film that combines interweaving moments in time and the tapestries of the many characters' emotional states. Chance, religion, redemption, loss, yearning and regret converge in a mature work about the human condition. "Magnolia" may be over three hours long, but it is a fully realized film that allows its audience to absorb and identify with its everyday situations of life and relationships in a way that no other film in 1999 did. Great music, acting (especially by Tom Cruise,) camerawork and writing guarantees a more than 82% chance that you will like "Magnolia," one of the very best films of 1999.
Rating: 
Summary: LET DOWN
Review: This movie was a MAJOR LETDOWN for me. I was a huge fan of Anderson's earlier work such as Boogie Nights and especially Hard Eight. I don't know what happened here. Anderson seems to absorbed with himself and not with his movie. I couldn't believe PTA actually wrote this script, since it is trite and weak. I would expect more from a freshman film student. I couldn't believe the over the top vulgarity and silliness. I guess that was why so many people walked out of the theater I saw it at. I stayed until the end, but by that time, I wished I had left with everyone else. I hope the director can bounce back after this, because I am debating whether or not I will waste my money (in a theater) again. Too bad. If PTA had spent more time on his script instead of cool camera angles and computer generated frogs, this might have been a great movie instead of just another turkey. A total flop. Get back to your roots, PTA. This isn't working....
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