My real introduction to P. T Anderson, the man who would go on to create "There Will Be Blood", this film is not one you watch lightly, but rather one you set aside a whole evening for, lights out, preferably alone or with someone equally as enthusiastic (as is the case with most of his work) and engross yourself in for a good three hours.
That three hours is an unusual urban tale in which a host of strangers' stories intertwine, each affecting another in some way. The film is about death, regret and lost opportunities (uplifting stuff!) It is moving beyond measure, a good 90% of the film set to a stunning soundtrack, including powerfully relevant tracks by Aimee Mann, that becomes as vivid and important a character as any of the screen players.
This is unconventional cinema that requires some patience, but rewards that patience massively, with great, complex characters, played by a top-notch cast amongst whom there is not a weak link: Tom Cruise is a perfect scumbag with whom we empathise anyway; Julianne Moore is at career-best as a woman who was a gold-digging leach, and who then fell in love with a man whose fate is now out of everyone's hands; William H Macy is an ex boy-genius, now a lost soul just looking to fit in for once, and the young Jeremy Blackman is the current boy-genius, sadly destined to follow in his footsteps. We have Philip Seymour Hoffman, who it would appear can do no wrong, in a relatively small but impacting role as a carer, John C. Reilly as a devoutly religious cop, who is in love with a cocaine-addicted no-hoper, played with intensity by Melora Walters. And there's plenty more...
P.T. Anderson's ability to manage tone is remarkable, the film at once funny, heart-warming, sad and heartbreaking, part music video (at one point quite literally), and with a surreal final act, which can put some people off, but whose religious reference is important to those who would understand it. Anderson is a fascinating filmmaker, and love or hate it, you certainly won't walk away from "Magnolia" unchallenged or without reaction. He would go on to up his game with "There Will Be Blood", but this is nevertheless a superb and strange drama that has high impact.
That three hours is an unusual urban tale in which a host of strangers' stories intertwine, each affecting another in some way. The film is about death, regret and lost opportunities (uplifting stuff!) It is moving beyond measure, a good 90% of the film set to a stunning soundtrack, including powerfully relevant tracks by Aimee Mann, that becomes as vivid and important a character as any of the screen players.
This is unconventional cinema that requires some patience, but rewards that patience massively, with great, complex characters, played by a top-notch cast amongst whom there is not a weak link: Tom Cruise is a perfect scumbag with whom we empathise anyway; Julianne Moore is at career-best as a woman who was a gold-digging leach, and who then fell in love with a man whose fate is now out of everyone's hands; William H Macy is an ex boy-genius, now a lost soul just looking to fit in for once, and the young Jeremy Blackman is the current boy-genius, sadly destined to follow in his footsteps. We have Philip Seymour Hoffman, who it would appear can do no wrong, in a relatively small but impacting role as a carer, John C. Reilly as a devoutly religious cop, who is in love with a cocaine-addicted no-hoper, played with intensity by Melora Walters. And there's plenty more...
P.T. Anderson's ability to manage tone is remarkable, the film at once funny, heart-warming, sad and heartbreaking, part music video (at one point quite literally), and with a surreal final act, which can put some people off, but whose religious reference is important to those who would understand it. Anderson is a fascinating filmmaker, and love or hate it, you certainly won't walk away from "Magnolia" unchallenged or without reaction. He would go on to up his game with "There Will Be Blood", but this is nevertheless a superb and strange drama that has high impact.