Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
4/4
A film as beautiful as a Magnolia.
memento_mori - wrote on 06/25/2013
One of Paul Thomas Anderson's better films (there are many).
I am proud to say I am amongst those who consider PTA a Wunderkind (wonder child in German).
He is the only director of which I have seen all films, and this is arguably the best one, on the same level of achievement as There Will Be Blood.
This movie is dramatic, funny, smart, connected and unpredictable.
These may be the best-developed characters put to screen, because the story is basically about the characters. That every character has a story; a beginning, a middle and an end.
The actors are all hitting every right note, with one actor even delivering a performance that I believe should go down in history (Tom Cruise).
The script ties everything together. All the characters are somehow, even in the slightest ways …
Rating of
3.5/4
Ambitious and epic
Andrew - wrote on 05/11/2012
Magnolia is an extremely ambitious film that has many intersecting plots and sub-plots. It is a great character study, as we see the intimate thoughts and feelings of each character as he/she struggles through life in the San Fernando Valley in the late 90s. Anderson is clearly a great director and only a truly great director could have pulled this very complicated movie together. The cast is fantastic, full of Oscar winners and nominees (Cruise, Moore, Macy, Hoffman, Reilly, and Robards), as well as one of the finest character actors (Hall). Melora Waters is also fantastic as Claudia Wilson Gator.
Many will criticize this film for its length and these criticisms are valid. The film could have been shorter or maybe even broken up into two separates films, but overall the story …
Rating of
4/4
Magnolia review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 11/22/2011
A picture filled with solid drama and dark humor that pulls you in as each story unfolds. It is unbelievable how several figures are well developed, you never keep your eyes off each scene which diminishes doubts of its length. So many sensitive subjects presented based upon each main character: sexist repressed self-help guru - Frank T.J. Mackey (portrayed superbly by Tom Cruise which earned him a best supporting role), lack of parental guidance - Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), compassionate and resourcefulness - Phil (Hoffman), peer pressure - Stanley Spector (Blackman), time lost - Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker Hall), inner demons due to guilt - Linda Partridge (astounding performance from Julianne Moore), guilt and regret - Earl Partridge (Robards), righteousness and sincere - …
Rating of
4/4
The underappreciated classic that should be watch
Sebman - wrote on 10/12/2009
There are films that could mean something but everyone else in the world will just see it as a film that is too long, but actually when you are watch this movie it is inspiring and also one of the most personal and also favorite movie I love to watch over and over again. One of my favorite things about this movie is the character. The character are what works for this film. One of favorite charactrer is John C. Reily's character who is this cop who wants to do his best and also thinks hat he is in Cops which when he does those moments when he talks to himself are great and also have a point in the movie. I especially love the how it ends (don't worry I won't spoil it for you) where lots of people woll not understand what it means but actually it something that is biblical and it is …
Rating of
2/4
Too Long for Its Own Good
Franz Patrick - wrote on 02/24/2008
There's not enough in this three-hour behemoth of a movie to recommend. Out of a half a dozen storylines, I only enjoyed two: Julianne Moore's and John C. Reilly's. Those two stories were sensitive, funny, moving and ultimately poignant. Julianne Moore's scene when she completely lost it at the pharmacy was nothing short of stellar. There was a distinct sadness about it, wrapped in hilarity. If I were forced to pick a third favourite, it would be William H. Macy's, which reminded me so much of "Fargo," but it pales against the former two. The bits regarding Tom Cruise and Jeremy Blackman were a bit too forced for my liking, not to mention they took up too much screen time. I did enjoy the last thirty minutes of the film which, I think, saved this movie from getting one star out of four …
