"Magnolia" (1999)

I know its in spanish but i like the poster. i will translate: Frank- he wants to convince Earl- he wants time Stanley- he wants a friend Claudia- she wants to change Linda- she wants help Donnie- he wants to give everything Jimmy- he wants to be forgiven Jim- he wants love

It's not going to stop, so just give up. this really is one of the greatest films of our time. Another film that explores a subject with deep thought. human emotion. this review will sound much akin to that of my earlier review of "The Sweet Hereafter". that is because they both intamitly explore the human mind and what happened in our childhood that lead us to the point in which we are today. this film forces us to feel; like "Requiem for a Dream". it's epic length makes it even more emotionally brutal. we sit down and forced to see lives of real people. i can tell you that this has happened to everyone in the world. one day in which we and our families and friends have that one god-awful day. and most of us may not even know much of what else happens. like Linda Partridge had no idea what Stanley Spector was going through. we are all dealing with our own inner conflicts so we are blinded from everything else. we need help and some characters in the film are helpers, while others need help. we see this everyday. it is a mad world out there, and this film shows that it's really not. those who are considered 'mad' just need some help, some more than others. but we all need help each other if we are going to survive on this earth. again this film shows the importance of that. by the curtain call of the film, not everything is fixed and not everything is resolved. but that's just life right? we see a series of interconnected characters dealing with conflicts on a day that they may never forget or one that they will learn from or forget; it might just be a reagular day. but we all have these days, maybe not to this extent or maybe even worse. i have met people very much like these people. this is a very important subject and film. but instead of giving a sermon about all of this, PTA inserted into this one film.

The plot is quite complex. the setting is one rainy day in California, yes it rain though most of the film which i think is vital to the movement. let's start with the character the director, P.T. Anderson, started with. Melora Walters plays Claudia. a dog-tired drug addict who picks up guys on a regular basis goes home and usually never sees them again. her father is Jimmy played by Philip Baker Hall. they are definatly estranged and you can probably guess why. he is the host for a long running game show called 'What Do Kids Know?'. he also has cancer. which he has not told his wife Rose (Melinda Dillon) about. he has cheated on her many times. the head of the game show is also dying of cancer but he is in his final moments. this is Jason Robards in his last film role as Earl Partridge. his nurse is Philip Seymour Hoffman playing Phil. Earl's wife is played verociously by the trophy-wife-on-outside-bitch-on-inside type, Julianne Moore who is an addict and is lost in confusion and anger and expresses it in the harshest and most explicit terms possible. reminds me of Sharon Stone's only good performnce in Scorsese's "Casino". Earl also has a son, Frank with his first wife, Lily. he is played by Tom Cruise in one of the greatest performances of our time. he has never and will never do something as good. Frank, well, his profession is to tell men how to get inside of a woman's pants. he is misogynistic and sexist, but for reasons we will discover throught the film. Stanley Spector plays a genious 12yearold contestant on the game show who is emotionally abused by his father (Michael Bowen) who knows that his son can score some money. i realate him to Howard Beale from "Network" (one of the main inspirations on the film); his talents are exploited for money. Stanley has much more potential in life thn this, and he knows it. William H. Macy plays Donnie who won a bunch of many on the game show in the late 60's. his parents took the money as well. he know works a shitty job as head salesman at some electronics store. he is fired but he needs money for his braces. yes, his teeth are fine, but he is in love with a male-bartender who has braces as well. this is one of the most deeply sadening sections of the film. i take that back, they all are really. John C. Reily plays Jim Kurring who is a nice police officer, devoted to God and doesent curse; one of the few characters. he is the laughing stock throughout the station. he is called to check out a disturbence- this is Claudia. we have now made the circle. below i have posted a charct to help you a bit. we filnd everything there is to know about the characters because of the way it's presented. through interviews or convertions etc. amazingly crafted. the end of the film is one of the most amazing feats i have ever seen. it's like seeing the traking shot of Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" for the first time. all of the emotions from the day come down. So now then.

This is not an easy film. it is very raw. but why not be. i think if it was not raw it would feel uncomfortable. i think we can get closer to a film if is is more forthright and candid. many, including my mother, could not stomach it. the acting from everyone including extras was nothing short of astonishing. Moore should have won the Oscar. she was so fierce. it was a disturbing performance. Macy was the same way i felt. lost and deeply depressed. both of their characters were in search for one brief touch of happiness (not the movie). it is a disturbing search though. Robards has this incredible and moving speech toward the middle about regret. this was an excellent note for Robards to end on. Hoffman was trying to help him and Linda in all of this mess. Jeremy Blackman who played Stanley was brilliant. he was very deep and i could feel his characters need to escape from the clutches of his father. Bowen was excellent as well. Hall was beatiful and executed it expertly. Reily is one of those actors who can whip out an incredible performance: this is absolutly one of those. Walters was very powerful and i would have liked to see her career progress some more. now Cruise is NOT my favorite actor. all of his performances are about the same. this is the only good one. he is exceptionally moving and powerful. every scene including one of his last scenes with his father, generates enough energy to keep the film from being a bore. this is a 3 hour film. it feels like two shakes of a lambs tail. this is because of th performances. there is not one dull scene because everything is constantly progressing and we see people real people, dealing with what most of us have to deal with. so the helpers were Reily and Hoffman. the innocent was Blackman. Cruise, Robards, Moore, Walters, Macy all needed help. it's not even for a reason... the screeplay is without doubt one of the greatset ever and should have won the Osacar although nominated. Anderson decided to brilliantly screen "Network" and "Ordinary People" to the crew before filming. this really comes through. in "Network", there is not dull moment. they are so true and smart and tht keeps our attention. very few films can explore psychology as deftly as this one. this film shoud have swept the Oscars but was only nominated for three. the height of emotion is off the charts. it may have seemed absurd and improbable but you have to look beyond. something like this 40 years ago never would have been thought possible.  But it Did Happen.

Academy Awards, USA
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2000	Nominated	Oscar	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Tom Cruise
			Best Music, Original Song Aimee Mann For the song "Save Me".
			Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Paul Thomas Anderson