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Earl Partridge: Jason Robards Linda Partridge: Julianne Moore Frank TJ Mackey: Tom Cruise Phil Parma: Philip Seymour Hoffman Officer Kurring: John C. Reilly Donnie Smith: William H. Macy Jimmy Gator: Philip Baker Hall Written and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Running time: 179 minutes. Rated R (for strong language, drug use, nudity, sexuality and some violence). |
Magnolia is a film of strange coincidences, unlikely events, twists of fates, a spectrum of emotions, or to put it quite simply, Magnolia is about life itself. Paul Thomas Anderson has written an ambitious script that tries to engulf a day of journey and exploration for his cast of characters, who reside in the metropolitian city that is Los Angeles. The film slowly unravels piece by piece as it shows how similiar a group of people really are.
We are first greeted by a narrator (Ricky Jay), who informs us of three different tales that have the same interlocking theme, incredible coincidences happen more often than we want to. It is as if some unknown force (or God) plays around with the human race.
One story involves the murder of a store owner by three men, two deaths that are caused by the other person and my favorite an apparent suicide that is really a murder. Each one brings a certain amount of irony for the people involved. The point of this trilogy is that whatever are intentions or plans are in life, they will not always end like we intend to. Life always throws a curveball and we just have to work with it when comes for us, just like the people we are about to meet.
The cast of characters in Magnolia is as massive as the film. The characters are intertwined and seem to be mirror images of each other, as they face the same problems or coincidences throughout the day. They go through a change of emotion as fast as the weather, which we get updates throughout the film.
Before we go further, let's introduce the sea of players that are in Magnolia. There is the Partridge family which consists of Earl (Jason Robards), Linda (Julianne Moore) and Frank TJ Mackley (Tom Cruise). Earl is dying and lays in his bed waiting for that moment. Linda is going through a nervous breakdown and can only find comfort in the drugs that she takes every minute. Frank is a sexual guru who hosts seminars to teach guys on how to seduce the opposite sex. He is quite successful judging the amount of people showing up and the media attention he receives. He is also the son of Earl, but has vowed never to see his father. Earl knowing his days are numbered has but one wish, to be reunited with his son.
Another family is the Gator family which consists of Claudia Wilson (Melora Walters), Jimmy (Philip Baker Hall) and Rose (Melinda Dillon). Jimmy is a host of a popular quiz show, but is facing some serious troubles in his personal life. He too is dying, but no one knows about it. He also had an affair that he hid from his wife. Claudia is the troubled daughter, who turns to drugs to wash away the memories of her family and her miserable life. Rose is Jimmy's wife, but bottles her emotions as she has lost her family.
Then there is ex-whiz kid Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), who was made famous on Jimmy Gator's show, but now works at an electronic store. He is a pathetic loser whose only asset now is his name. His younger version is Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman), who is about to beat Donnie's record, but he rather have the life of a normal kid and the attention of his father. There is Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who is a nurse for Earl Partridge. He spends most of the film searching for Frank, trying to grant Earl's last request. Then lastly there is Officer Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly), who is simply looking for a companion in this lonely city.
The connection of some of these characters is like playing a game of six degrees of separation. Some are related by blood while others are mutual acquaintances. For instance, Earl produced the show that Jimmy hosts. Jimmy's daughter Claudia meets Office Kurring, during a disturbing the peace incident. Office Kurring will eventually meet Donnie Smith. And so on and so on.
Despite the difference in their names and DNA, some characters are almost mirror images of each other. Both wives are caught between their spouses dying and turmoil in their family. The husbands want to be reunited with their children before they die. Everyone experiences mental breakdowns and bouts of depression throughout the film. Basically the film is what you call an actor's dream picture.
Magnolia feels like an opera, as the scenes are paced by the music. As the scenes begin to build so does the music. We feel tension behind every scene, waiting for that climax, but it never relaxes for a second as the scenes continue to build. The lyrics drive the film so much that in the middle of Magnolia we are treated to a mini-music video as the whole cast sing excerpts of the Aimee Mann song "Save Me." It is this sequence that the characters are singing exactly what they are feeling. Helplessness, distraught, and miniscule, they are looking for any glimmer of hope to reassure themselves or maybe they want to take another person's place instead.
Magnolia runs around three hours, which could have been cut down a half an hour. It is the only fault in the film. At some points it feels like a moment, while other times it drags on like tired feet. The beginning is exciting and captivating, as we are introduced to the characters. The camera is in constant movement as we move from person to person. In the middle section, there is a hint of boredom as the characters have no where else to go, emotional that is. They have already ran through the gauntlet of emotions and have given their sad speeches. Now, they just seem to wallow in them. Finally the energy returns, as the characters reach the final outcome, and like the weather, it is fast and furious.
With Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson has established himself as one of the new and exciting directors this year. He joins the new crop of exciting directors of Spike Jonze, David O. Russell and Wes Anderson.
Magnolia is quite an undertaking. Bold and personal. The two films that I have seen, this and Boogie Nights, do not deal with plot nor environment, but people. He seems to find interest in how people behave and what motivates them in what they do.
The film feels like an endless stream of conscience that flows from event to event. We eventually flow into a conclusion that reaches biblical proportions (notice that I said biblical). However you feel about the ending event, how awkward or stupid it is, remember that the three tales in the beginning informed us that strange coincidences do happen and that is how we should treat it as such.
In any event, Magnolia is by far one of the most interesting and exciting films I have seen this year. What it may lack in direction it more than makes up in movement, originality and atmosphere. Grade: A
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