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Movies / On DVD / Magnolia
Magnolia

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Magnolia (1999)

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Reviews Counted:136

Fresh:113

Rotten:23

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: Critics say Magnolia is an ambitious, lengthy work that ultimately succeeds due to the interesting stories and excellent ensemble performances.

Runtime: 3 hrs 8 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: In a single day in Los Angeles, a number of interconnected lives are changed forever. A lonely police officer (John C. Reilly) falls in love with a disturbed cocaine addict (Melora Walters). Her... In a single day in Los Angeles, a number of interconnected lives are changed forever. A lonely police officer (John C. Reilly) falls in love with a disturbed cocaine addict (Melora Walters). Her father (Philip Baker Hall), the host of the game show "What Do Kids Know?" has terminal cancer and tries to make amends for his past mistakes. A former champion of the show (William H. Macy) struggles to find love while the current champion (Jeremy Blackman) suffocates under the pressures of being a boy genius. An elderly man (Jason Robards) lies on his deathbed, tended by nurse Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman), while his trophy wife (Julianne Moore) wrestles with grief and guilt, and his estranged son (Tom Cruise), an infomercial host, teaches workshops on how to trick women into having sex. Throughout all of this, past deeds are lamented and strange forces loom in the air. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to BOOGIE NIGHTS is an extravagant, emotional epic inspired by such films as Robert Altman's NASHVILLE and SHORT CUTS, with a sprawling cast of characters searching for love and meaning in a chaotic world. The cast delivers uniformly excellent performances, most notably Tom Cruise's Oscar-nominated role as the sleazy Frank T.J. Mackey. [More]

Starring: John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Starring: John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Melora Walters, William H. Macy, Jeremy Blackman, Michael Bowen, Melinda Dillon, April Grace, Luis Guzmán, Alfred Molina, Michael Murphy, Felicity Huffman, Henry Gibson

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Screenwriter: Paul Thomas Anderson
Producer: Joanne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson
Composer: Jon Brion

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Magnolia

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

One of the most enthralling and exhilarating American movies in ages.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a gambler's strategy -- double or nothing -- and Magnolia's gamble pays off.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/03/02
Leslie Dick
Leslie Dick
Sight and Sound

Ever since the credits rolled I’ve been able to think of little else.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall
ViewLondon

Cruise, with a sharklike stance, gives a career-best performance as a total bastard.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The sins of fathers, sons and lovers come pouring onto the audience in a torrent of stifling intensity.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Magnolia's finest achievement is the sheer ambition running through every vein.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
04/28/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Anderson has efficiently sabotaged and humiliated himself.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

Anderson brings us his third movie... with more confidence and skill than his 29 years would suggest.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
10/22/02
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Magnolia towers over most Hollywood films this year.

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

Anderson's three-hour film will try the patience of anyone dead-set on a single unifying story, but fans of ambitious cinema that fudges with narrative traditions are in for a treat.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Todd Anthony
Todd Anthony
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Magnolia" is magnificent!

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

Dosn't stand up to any analysis, but it's filled with amazing scenes, and seems uncannily hooked into the Zeitgeist of the time.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
04/03/02
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A stunning achievement.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Nos deja el pensamiento de que aunque la vida es compleja y dura, siempre puede ocurrir algo que cambie nuestros destinos

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

Magnolia is a bold, rich, meandering tapestry of lost souls in conflict, made by an artist who may be in conflict himself. It's a film of fits.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Magnolia is as challenging and evolutionary a film as one could hope for.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jim Bartoo
Jim Bartoo
Hollywood.com

Those who 'get' the film are in for something that ranks as more of a cinematic experience than a mere movie.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Too lengthy and jangled to properly serve Anderson's purpose.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News

An intricate mosaic of emotional stories intertwined by coincidence, Magnolia is an elegant exposé of human frailty.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

The biggest disappointment of the year.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
01/01/00
Tom Block
Tom Block
culturevulture.net
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Magnolia

February 07, 2007: Ben Stiller & Tom Cruise: The New Hardy Boys?
Will Tom Cruise resort to comedy in an effort to salvage his semi-damaged image? And if so, is Ben Stiller to be his partner in hilarity? More...

November 21, 2006: Auteur Robert Altman Passes Away at 81
Robert Altman, the esteemed and venerable director of "M*A*S*H," "Nashville," and "The Player," died Monday from complications due to cancer. He... More...

June 09, 2005: Paramount Confirms "Mission: Impossible 3" is a Go
Just a day after dropping their proposed "Watchmen" adaptation, Paramount Pictures announced that "Mission: Impossible 3" will go into production on July... More...

May 26, 2005: Rhys-Myers and Monaghan Sign up for "MI: 3"
More...

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