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Paul Thomas Anderson may be best known nowadays for his Upton Sinclair adaptation There Will Be Blood - the Daniel Day-Lewis starrer which explored the ruthlessness of an insensitive oil baron - and his breakout film Boogie Nights - the best depiction of the porn industry ever committed to celluloid which catapulted Mark Wahlberg and Julianne Moore onto the A-list. However, Magnolia is quite possibly the epitome of the Californian's career simply for sheer bizarreness.
Using a Crash-influencing interweaving of numerous storylines, Anderson's own Oscar-nominated screenplay follows the interconnected lives of nine characters in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, similar to what Robert Altman did with Short Cuts half a decade earlier. As fascinating and engaging as the film is though, the intrinsic melancholia of the plot cannot be avoided throughout the mammoth three hour ride, with the vast geography of the City of Angels mimicking the sprawling nature of the narrative. Magnolia is a story of irony and coincidence, an opus of such intricacy and intelligence that the audience's complete attention needs to be applied at all times to fully appreciate it - the short exploration of coincidences in the mini documentary in the opening moments is a perfect warm-up for the forthcoming action. Anderson is trying to make many statements with this work but above anything else the bottom line motto reads thus: our behaviour has many repercussions, even ones we can never witness or know exist.
The harsh treatment of children is the one theme which stands out amongst the interconnected tales followed closely by ultra strained parent-children relationships. William H. Macy's Donnie Smith is a child prodigy who has lost his way and now leads the life of a failed salesman; Jeremy Blackman's Stanley Spector is what Smith was thirty years previously, a game show whiz kid controlled by his neglectful father (Michael Bowen); Tom Cruise's Frank T.J. Mackey is the showstopper of proceedings - abandoned by his father, he becomes rich through 'penis power' and leading seminars on how to "Seduce and Destroy" women; John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman masterfully play two sympathetic yet forthright figures, a policeman and nurse, respectively; and Melora Waters and Julianne Moore have familial links to the two elder statesmen of the film dying of cancer, Philip Baker Hall and Jason Robards. Add millions of raining frogs and Exodus 8:2 to the recipe and Anderson has created one of the biggest filmic brain workouts in a long time. The intellectual depth can only be applauded though as it entices the viewer and doesn't relinquish its grip on your psyche for days afterwards.
The extras
Disc One is simply the feature and, even though Anderson has stated on record that this film doesn't need a commentary as it speaks for itself, surely there's a strong argument for Magnolia of all films to have an in-depth track. The 'Magnolia Diary', a documentary by Mark Rance, is the main event however. Rance was given what seems to be almost unlimited access to the film and its production. Just about everyone and everything is covered, although it is pretty obvious that Rance has serious adoration for Jason Robards. The veteran actor candidly discusses his own near fatal stay in the hospital and how the role in Magnolia fell into his lap shortly after being discharged. Also in the package is the entire infomercial, "Search and Destroy" featuring Tom Cruise's monologue in addition to the rest of his uproarious seminar. There is an outtake reel in the form of an Easter egg that is to be hunted down in the disc's colour bars and Aimee Mann's remarkable video (yet rather mediocre song) "Save Me" is to be found as well. A theatrical trailer and nine television spots close out the set which is a satisfactory 'Special Edition' for an early outing in the format.
The summary
Charming yet intense, Magnolia is a great ensemble piece by a visionary director. Such a unique film needs to have essays dedicated to it rather than reviews in order to fully immerse oneself in Anderson's world.
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