My 5th Favorite Movie of All Time
Magnolia (1999)
Ah Magnolia...Now this is a movie. Paul Thomas Anderson, director of Punch-Drunk Love and Boogie Nights, shows amazing potential and dexterity in his fourth feature film. He essentially combines the talents of Robert Altman, with his trend to direct dozens of different characters faithfully, and Martin Scorsese, who is famous for his long-tracking camera shots and his quick-paced editing. And it's remarkable to see how such a young (but not necessarily inexperienced) director can take such complex material and weave it with the skill of the best of both worlds from two directors. But wonder no more; the great PTA has achieved it in great fashion.
The story revolves around a large eclectic group of characters in San Fernando Valley over the course of 24 hours. I'm not going to summarize the plot it because no one will bother reading it anyway. It's hard to say what links the lives of the nine major characters in this film though. Obviously quite a few are connected due to simply family ties or even business ties. However, finding an overall moral is a tricky task, considering the fact that director stuffs it fully with layers upon layers of themes. The clearest binding item of interest revolves around the childrens' relationships with their parents. The other theme is perhaps how incredibly remarkable happenings occur, quite literally, every day. And through bizarre coincidences, these occurences serve to bind seeminly unrelated people closer.
There is so much praise I could place upon this film since every aspect of it is pitch-perfect. All nine actors give stunning performances, despite the fact that no one character is given more screen time to shine than the other. This includes Tom Cruise, who gives a heart-wrenching performance that was robbed of an oscar. The screenplay is a true gem; it provides an enthralling plot with dialogue to chew on. Additionally, the conclusion will leave most audience members with their jaws on the floor. However, the aspect that cements "Magnolia" into the status of greatness is its soundtrack/score. There is pretty much always some tune in the background that effectively enhances the mood and atmosphere. The music essentially dances with the direction and develops an engaging and highly-diverting experience.
This film probably isn't perfect in the classical sense. It is long (at a little over three hours), sprawling, a little preachy at times, and because of that it might seem pretentious to some. But you can probably guess if that bothers me the least bit. Simply put, I love it. Every moment is fresh and engaging, ambitious yet enjoyable. And it's so hard to find films hold your interest constantly on every level. This one, I guess, just did it for me.
Quotes:
Frank T.J. Mackey: Respect the cock... and tame the cunt. Tame it.
Dixon: When the sunshine don't work, the good Lord bring the rain in.
Phil Parma: Do you know that every other word you use is either 'shit', 'fuck', 'balls' or 'cocksucker'?
Earl Partridge: Could you do me a personal favor?
Phil Parma: Go fuck myself?
Earl Partridge: You got it.
Jim Kurring: Oh, Lord, why is this happening to me? God, please help me figure this out. I'm lost out here! I don't understand why it's happening. God, please, God!
[sirens]
Jim Kurring: Whatever it is I did, I'm going to fix it. I'm going to do the right thing. Please, help me find the gun! I...
[points his flashlight at the camera as the sirens get louder]
Ah Magnolia...Now this is a movie. Paul Thomas Anderson, director of Punch-Drunk Love and Boogie Nights, shows amazing potential and dexterity in his fourth feature film. He essentially combines the talents of Robert Altman, with his trend to direct dozens of different characters faithfully, and Martin Scorsese, who is famous for his long-tracking camera shots and his quick-paced editing. And it's remarkable to see how such a young (but not necessarily inexperienced) director can take such complex material and weave it with the skill of the best of both worlds from two directors. But wonder no more; the great PTA has achieved it in great fashion.
The story revolves around a large eclectic group of characters in San Fernando Valley over the course of 24 hours. I'm not going to summarize the plot it because no one will bother reading it anyway. It's hard to say what links the lives of the nine major characters in this film though. Obviously quite a few are connected due to simply family ties or even business ties. However, finding an overall moral is a tricky task, considering the fact that director stuffs it fully with layers upon layers of themes. The clearest binding item of interest revolves around the childrens' relationships with their parents. The other theme is perhaps how incredibly remarkable happenings occur, quite literally, every day. And through bizarre coincidences, these occurences serve to bind seeminly unrelated people closer.
There is so much praise I could place upon this film since every aspect of it is pitch-perfect. All nine actors give stunning performances, despite the fact that no one character is given more screen time to shine than the other. This includes Tom Cruise, who gives a heart-wrenching performance that was robbed of an oscar. The screenplay is a true gem; it provides an enthralling plot with dialogue to chew on. Additionally, the conclusion will leave most audience members with their jaws on the floor. However, the aspect that cements "Magnolia" into the status of greatness is its soundtrack/score. There is pretty much always some tune in the background that effectively enhances the mood and atmosphere. The music essentially dances with the direction and develops an engaging and highly-diverting experience.
This film probably isn't perfect in the classical sense. It is long (at a little over three hours), sprawling, a little preachy at times, and because of that it might seem pretentious to some. But you can probably guess if that bothers me the least bit. Simply put, I love it. Every moment is fresh and engaging, ambitious yet enjoyable. And it's so hard to find films hold your interest constantly on every level. This one, I guess, just did it for me.
Quotes:
Frank T.J. Mackey: Respect the cock... and tame the cunt. Tame it.
Dixon: When the sunshine don't work, the good Lord bring the rain in.
Phil Parma: Do you know that every other word you use is either 'shit', 'fuck', 'balls' or 'cocksucker'?
Earl Partridge: Could you do me a personal favor?
Phil Parma: Go fuck myself?
Earl Partridge: You got it.
Jim Kurring: Oh, Lord, why is this happening to me? God, please help me figure this out. I'm lost out here! I don't understand why it's happening. God, please, God!
[sirens]
Jim Kurring: Whatever it is I did, I'm going to fix it. I'm going to do the right thing. Please, help me find the gun! I...
[points his flashlight at the camera as the sirens get louder]