Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

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.

Pjtaylor-96-138044 For all its in-the-moment emotional impact and bursts of odd, intercut-driven tension, 'Magnolia (1999)' ultimately amounts to very little, even within its own individual stories. It avoids the usual narrative satisfactions under the guise of them being clichés - as opposed to tried-and-tested storytelling techniques - and tries its best to utilise coincidence in an apparently true-to-life way it's determined has not been done before - despite the fact that such coincidences are still clearly crafted to fit a preconceived plot and, therefore, should provide at least some narrative catharsis. As such, the flick almost feels like a waste of the enormous and, as Anderson himself puts it, unmerciful three-hours and eight minutes of your time it takes up. Yet, it does take up those minutes rather amicably, in the sense that the time sort of flies (to an extent) and you do become quite invested in some of the the intertwining tales you're being told, despite the fact that it's all so melodramatic and essentially one-note that it can be hard to take seriously even when it should be at its best - something which isn't helped by the in-your-face and often out-of-place music. The picture also constantly builds to a climax that never really comes, despite the big and all-encompassing event that tail-ends its third act. If it didn't seem like it was telling you how to feel all the time, it would have worked much better. 7/10

MartinHafer "Magnolia" is an incredibly unusual film...sort of an experimental project in it's style. Because of this and the occasionally extremely graphic language and depressing stories, it's a film that many would find hard to like...though I remember professional critics practically falling all over themselves praising it for its originality. So did I like it? Read on.As far as how the film is experimental, it features many different stories that are interwoven throughout the story and it is really not apparently what connects them all during much of "Magnolia". There are also many rapid edits and jumps that make it difficult to follow as well as the three hour plus running time.There is a prologue where several stories (including at least two urban legends) are all used to illustrate death and that perhaps in life there are no coincidences...and you can only assume the disparate stories that follow must be related to this...maybe. So what are the stories? Well, there are too many and too many parts to tell but they involve a dying man (Jason Robards) and his caregiver (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a woman who appears to be strung out (Julianne Moore), a cop who seems to go from one crisis call to another (John C. Reilly), a man who is dying and wants to reconnect with his angry daughter, an ex-quiz kid who now feels like a loser, a sociopathic motivational speaker (Tom Cruise) and many more. And do they all come together to make any sense? Well, they are mostly pretty depressing...at least I can say that without hurting the viewing experience.As I watched, I found "Magnolia" very hard to stop watching. Despite not necessarily enjoying much of the film, it sure kept my attention. Much of it was because the film features a lot of great actors and they had some amazing moments in the movie. Is it a film I loved? No. But I do respect it for trying to be different. And, on balance I am glad I saw it. But I agree with the director/writer when he later said the film might have been better had it been pared down a bit.

Dave This drama film has an ensemble cast and several stories. It's about various interconnected people who live in Southern California's San Fernando Valley. It's well-written and well-acted by its cast. Tom Cruise was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - which he should have won.It's over three hours long, but it holds your attention.