Magnolia is too long, in fact it lasts about 3 hours. Everyone (except maybe Kevin Costner) knows movies tend to get tedious after 120 minutes. There are far too many characters, too many sprawling storylines tenuously held together by two men dying of cancer, creating a lack of focus and leaving many loose ends. At one point the whole cast, for no apparent reason, start singing along to the soundtrack. The self same soundtrack features Gabrielle's 'Dreams' for chrissakes! So how come Magnolia works?
Paul Thomas Anderson's latest ensemble melodrama doesn't cover the same timespan of Boogie Nights but is more eventful and emotional; and despite all the things listed above, it is essential viewing. The film follows several characters through one day in San Fernando, documenting their lives, loves and losses. The element linking all the storylines together are two men, both dying of cancer and seeking forgiveness for mistakes they committed during their lives. However, Anderson includes many threads that are only weakly linked to this idea, all brought together under the umbrella of bizarre coincidence.
Isn't it great when Tom Cruise acts? I don't mean onscreen flahing his perfect smile and tossing his flaxen hair. I mean really acts. Like in Rain Man or Born on the Fourth of July. Or Magnolia. His performance here reminds you why he is a cut above the average Hollywood crowd-puller, though I wouldn't say it was outstanding. This is not because he isn't brilliant, rather that the rest of the cast match him every step of the way; despite not being household names, writer/director Anderson knows he is privileged to be able to cast some of the best actors currently plying their trade and they will nail their given character perfectly.
Despite Gabrielle's dirge rearing it's ugly head, the soundtrack is otherwise excellent, and Aimee Mann's songs seem to match the events perfectly. In fact, in the album inlay Anderson admits to have written Magnolia to fit Mann's songs, not the other way around. Unusual, but like so much else about the film, it works. So not perfect, but thorougly recommended, even if just for the scenes with the frogs. |
