Magnolia is an exhilarating experience for any film lover who wants and desires for films that go above and beyond what the vast majority of movies produced today will give to the audience. Got to the theaters and all you will see are mainstream productions completely formulaic, money-driven and without any real emotion or power. It is a fair argument that all film producers care about today is making a profit, getting the audience in and out as quickly as possible and waiting for the next big thing. Paul Thomas Anderson is not such a filmmaker.
Magnolia is not such a film. At over three hours long, it toys with the audience, giving them just enough characters to make them feel they cannot follow until they realize they are completely immersed. It also deals with seriously heavy issues and themes; this is not a film for the immature or childish of heart. At times, it can be difficult to watch what is happening because of what isn't being said or done; the most powerful elements of this film are what is implied.
That being said, this film succeeds mostly because of the incredible acting from the huge ensemble cast and Anderson's writing, which many feel is too pretentious and self-aware to be taken seriously. However, this is a film that is either bought or sold immediately by the viewer. I bought it and once you do, you are sucked in for the rest of the film. Of course, the acting really brings it home with incredibly powerful performances most notably from Jeremy Blackman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Walters and Tom Cruise, who completely upstages everyone else, proving once again that he is a viable actor capable of being considered great for his time and not just a box-office star.
Yet, this is an auteur production the whole way through and for that reason, people either love or hate Magnolia. Anderson is one of the most unique and talented filmmakers of the past 20 years and to see any one of his five films is to witness a special vision of the world. Here, we get his views on forgiveness; the power of it and how giving or holding it affects us in life. Of course, the ending is complex, mysterious and perplexing. There are remarkable coincidences and accidents throughout the narrative. Yet, no one can deny the unusual power and potency laying dormant beneath these scenes. All that is needed is for someone to open it up, be exposed to its ideas and be held in spectacle for three hours. The rest is up to you.
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