Magnolia

Starring: John C. Reilly, Tom Cruise
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Genre: Drama
Year: 1999
Rating: 1 / 5

Magnolia might be the least entertaining movie I have ever seen. I just wanted to get that out the way, allowing fans of this movie to stop reading now. The movie may have been well made, and the acting is certainly up to standard, but the story is one of the most boring, least engrossing efforts I have ever had the misfortune of watching. Keeping in mind that I recently watched Jean-Claude Van Damme's Universal Soldier: The Return, this is saying quite a bit. Aside from Tom Cruise's Golden Globe-winning performance - which is almost as good as it is said to be - this film's characters are uninteresting and, in some case, extremely annoying. Throw in a random and rather absurd ending, and we have the makings of a three-hour odyssey of unending suffering.

How can I best describe what happens in this movie? Magnolia is an episode of Seinfeld, minus the humor and lacking the clever end-of-show sequence that ties all the storylines together. (I would like it noted that the prior comment is in no way meant to disparage Seinfeld, a wonderful sitcom whose memory I do not mean to tarnish by its inclusion in this article.) This film by Paul Thomas Anderson, the man who brought us the screen classic Boogie Nights, follows about ten characters through one day of their respective lives, lives which intersect through obscure happenstance or not at all. Through their journeys, we are meant to see into their sense of self and their motivations, and we are to learn, as a fellow viewer did mention, that the past will always play an important role in our lives.

The characters we meet are far from compelling, and I cared precious little for whether or not each overcame his individual difficulties. A young drug addict with a tumultuous family situation. A brilliant child whose youth is being taken from him. A former prodigy whose life seems to have lost all meaning. A gold-digging wife in the midst of a conscience-attack. These characters' lives are laid bare before us, but why are we supposed to invest anything in them? Some characters may elicit bits of sympathy, but most plod through this tale, almost begging for a spare tear. That tear never comes, even if there is not a dry eye on-screen when the film trudges to its long-overdue conclusion.

P.T. Anderson is a critical darling, thanks in no small part to the "success" of Boogie Nights. This film was one of the most anticipated follow-up films of the last few years, yet, for the life of me, I cannot imagine why. It is refreshing to see Tom Cruise in a role not geared for box office stardom, and he fills his role like no one but he or a young Al Pacino could. Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of the rising young character actors in Hollywood, does an admirable job as well, playing a figure who is somehow able to keep a respectful distance from the film's central chaos. These two are not enough, though, as Magnolia meanders through more than three hours of disjointed tales and pleas for pity. If this review saves one innocent filmgoer from the sort of agonizing pain I endured, I will feel that I have done my duty. With any luck, I may even save a couple more...

Cast:

John C. Reilly..........	Jim Kurring
Tom Cruise..........	Frank Mackey
Julianna Moore..........	Linda Partridge
Philip Seymour Hoffman..........	Phil Parma
Philip Baker Hall..........	Jimmy Gator

Certification: Rated R for violence, language, and sexual situations.
Running Time: 188 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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