jesper-09471 Well, good morning. Music is tremendous, camera-movement is tremendous, the acting is tremendous and the plot itself is tremendous. But, it just dosen't work out. Really, for me it was one of the most cruel, psychotic, sad and arrogant movies i've ever watched.But was keeps me alive and emotional, is Tom Cruise or Frank Mackey, sitting by his fathers bed, and acting the living hell out of the movie. He saved it from letting me give it a 3 star rating.Then, there was John Reilly or Officer Jim Kurring crying while it's raining, because he can't find his gun. He lost the gun. It hurt him. He acted with heart throughout that scene, that us, the viewers, couldn't stop caring for him, and that performance alone, made me give the movie a 5-star rating.

gogoschka-1 The music; the way the camera moves; the performances: this amazing ensemble piece takes everything to the next level. Although the influence of Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese can be felt throughout the whole film, P.T. Anderson doesn't copy them but merely uses some of their trademark techniques to create his very own, unique brand of film.There are so many creative ideas and standout scenes in this film: I'm sure that, similarly to how filmmakers of Anderson's generation are citing films like 'Nashville' or 'Goodfellas' as their inspiration, the next generation of aspiring directors will be citing 'Magnolia'. The film is not "just" a masterpiece, but also hugely influential and an instant classic. 10 stars out of 10.Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

nadrojh Magnolia is a great drama. Paul Thomas Anderson did an incredible job writing and directing. It has a brilliant script that takes multiple story lines and weaves them together flawlessly. It has a wonderful opening and ending. It is well shot, I like the use of narration and music. It has a great cast with many wonderful performances. Especially Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, William H Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Jeremy Blackman, and a incredible performance by John C Reilly. Magnolia is a brilliant movie. It is Paul Thomas Anderson best movie, and one of the best movies of the 1990's. It is not a movie everyone will like, however it is one of my favorite movies. I have seen it multiple times and enjoy it more each time. It is a great movie.

Shane Craig "The book says, "We may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us."Magnolia is a masterpiece. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my favorite filmmakers and this film is definitely his best. When I finished school this year, I got home and realized there was only one PTA film I had not seen and that was Magnolia, so I popped it in. It was very late and I expected that I was going to get halfway, however I ended up watching all of it. When it ended, I sat there speechless. I called so many people telling them that I had just witnessed cinematic history and that it was the best dialogue driven film of all time. Over the last month, I have re-watched it about four times and shown it to several people. This film is too good not to see more than once. The way PTA blocks a scene, his realistic and well-written dialogue, and of course the performances. The performances are amazing as well. This ensemble cast knocks it out the park. The story revolves around a group of people in the San Fernando Valley, each of which have plot threads that tie into one another. This is one reason why the film's poster is sheer brilliance. It is a Magnolia flower and each petal has a character/characters. All of the petals go back to the middle of the flower. This is because while each of these stories are taking place at different times and sometimes different places...they all relate back to one another and are connected. This story is so well developed and it makes you care about each of these characters, whom you are with for over three hours. This film is very important in the way it depicts relationships. While some of these characters may not share any scenes together, their topics of story lines are certainly very similar. Stanley's story is almost identical to Donnie's. Stanley is a young boy who is clearly very intelligent and his father wants money, which he can win on Jimmy Gator's game show. This is exactly what happened to Donnie when he was on the show in the 60s and his parents took the money he won. These characters are developed in the way that any film character should. They are given depth, meaning, and flaws. Many of these characters are at their core good people, while some of them have questionable behavior. Take Claudia and Linda: two women who both use drugs excessively. In the beginning of the film, I clearly had a somewhat wrong impression of Claudia. When Jimmy arrived to tell her about his illness, she went ballistic and did not even acknowledge the situation. I was thinking that she was just some crazy junkie and she is disrespectful to her father. But once it was revealed that Jimmy had molested her, I totally felt for her and understood her previous actions. While you might dismiss Frank as a sexist pig in the beginning, you can certainly understand his pain later on when you see that his father abandoned him and his mother, who was also ill. In my opinion, the most kind character is Jim. He certainly means well and as an officer of the law he definitely cares about others' well-being. For example, at the end of the film Jim catches Donnie climbing up the side of the store he used to work at. He helps him out and lets him return the money he stole and even sets him up with a guy who works in oral surgery. Donnie Smith was in love and he thought getting braces would impress Brad the bartender. I think that that scene in the bar where a drunk Donnie gives a speech about love and admits his love for Brad is one of the best scenes of the whole film. William H. Macy delivers a great performance in that scene. While many may be confused with the frogs, it is actually brilliant. The frogs represent the plague in the book of exodus, as many of the characters and the narrator quoted the book throughout the film.What makes Magnolia so good and so unique is that it is about life. A lot of these situations are real-life situations that audiences can relate to. This is the best film of 1999 and of the decade.