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Magnolia
1999 189 min United States of America R 18+
★8.1
Drama
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Trailers
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Description
On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story.
Budget:
$37M
US Gross:
$22.46M
Worldwide:
$48.45M
Starring
Tom Cruise
Actor
Jason Robards
Actor
Julianne Moore
Actor
Awards
Golden Globe 2000
— Best Supporting Actor
Berlin International Film Festival 2000
— Golden Bear
Berlin International Film Festival 2000
— Berliner Morgenpost Prize
Golden Globe 2000
— Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe 2000
— Best Original Song
Berlin International Film Festival 2000
— Golden Bear
Berlin International Film Festival 2000
— Berliner Morgenpost Prize
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2000
— FIPRESCI Prize – Best Film of the Year
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2000
— Best Cast Ensemble
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2000
— Best Supporting Actress
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2000
— Best Supporting Actor
Key opinion
Magnolia is a polarized cinematic experience, celebrated by some as an emotionally raw, ambitious masterpiece and dismissed by others as an overlong, pretentious, and exhausting exercise in misery. While its technical craft and ensemble acting are widely acknowledged, the film's structural audacity and heavy-handed symbolism divide audiences between those who find it cathartic and those who find it contrived.
| Acting | The ensemble cast delivers powerful, deeply committed performances, with Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore frequently singled out for their transformative work. | |
| Score | Aimee Mann's music and the iconic 'Wise Up' sequence serve as a cohesive emotional anchor that successfully unifies the film's sprawling narrative. | |
| Runtime | The three-hour runtime is a point of contention: supporters find it essential for the film's immersive, epic emotional payoff, while detractors view it as self-indulgent and bloated. | |
| Emotion | The film's heavy, misery-filled tone and reliance on extreme emotional outbursts create a jarring, polarizing experience that some find cathartic and others find insufferable. | |
| Ending | The symbolic rain of frogs is seen by some as a masterful, audacious metaphorical climax, while others perceive it as a jarring, nonsensical, or pretentious narrative choice. |