A rare success with this film is that it is a Tom Cruise film I like. But to be honest,it's not really about him it's how the cinematography is so interwoven you can't remember where you went last and where you are going to go next. To think of a story like this takes time and dedication and to keep you hanging on for 3 Hours isn't a bad feat either.

Wonderful. Perfectly wonderful.

Magnificent! The performances were amazing. You can't help but feel the emotions of each character. But the crux of the film lies in the story Anderson creates. Anderson weaves these 9 interrelated lives together to culminate into one grand ending. Magnolia is simply a beautiful film.

An excellent follow-up to 1997's Boogie Nights, but isn't as good. I would say Magnolia is Paul Thomas Anderson's second best film (out of 4). The story is very complex and you really have to pay attention. Not to mention it is a very LONG movie too. It is three hours and eight minutes! I've seen longer, but that is pretty long. The story really sucks you in though. It is about a lonely cop (John C. Reilly) who is falling in love with coke-addict (Melora Walters), whose father is a big television game show host (Philip Baker Hall - who portrayed Detective Bookman on 'Seinfeld') who is having heart problems, who has the kid genius star on his show (Jeremy Blackman). The other story is about a sick old man who is dying (Jason Robards) and how his young wife (Julianne Moore) and his personal nurse (Philip Seymour Hoffman) try to get in touch with his only son (Tom Cruise) who is a motivational speaker to sexist men. Another major character in the story is a former quiz show kid (William H. Macy) who is an adult now and reflects on his horrible life as a car salesman and how his parents took his money away from him. This is an excellent film for people looking for an interesting movie and long movie. I recommend this to Paul Thomas Anderson fans too. See the movie my English teacher calls the best film of all time! This is the only film where all the performances given deserve an Oscar. (2/21/03)… Collapse

The 2nd greatest film ever. The most ambitious direction and story ever. The best cast every assembled with Cruise standing out.

Nothing in 1999 came close to this. A towering achievement in writing, directing, acting, and - of course - music.

Astonishing. One of the best movies ever made, but not for the faint hearted.

Yoon Min Cho, I feel sorry for you. Really. Your review basically lists an awful lot of things that you think Anderson's doing, but which may just be your imagination - I (for one) had never thought of that until that precise moment. Why you care about (scroll, scroll, scroll) any perceived "wallowing of P.T. Anderson's many alter egos in self-pity, self-righteousness, and self-aggrandizement, finally all souped with quasi-metaphysical gobbledygook"...and so on, is beyond me. You seem unable to accept the film on its own terms. And that' sad, because it's not what cinema's about. I'm not saying you can't be irritated by the characters (or whatever it was irritated you...) - it's your prerogative - just that it seems a waste of energy bothering to actively hate it over something so trivial. Oh, and for the love of God, don't mention the climactic spoiler deleted! It's meant to be a shock! And is. The point is this: Magnolia is a masterpiece. A masterpiece. (I said that twice because it's really a MASTERPIECE). Not everyone's cup of char (like Martin Scorcese Second Uniting for Robert Altman on some REALLY good stuff), but if you don't like it, it's likely your problem. If you like this sort of thing, this sort of thing you will love to pieces. If not, probably best avoided cos it's not going to convert you. Watch Nashville and Short Cuts first. And Boogie Nights. And Hard Eight. And then you probably should get some sleep.… Expand

My favorite movie! I was entraped in the first opening seconds and it honestly did not let go until it all ended. On top of that my investment of time was rewarded by a truly unforgettable climax. Everyone of the actors in this movie are at the top of their game. I can watch this over and over again, and each time there is something new to ponder about.

Mesmerizing movie. It's hard to choose a favourite performance but for now it's Julianne Moore. She doesn't portray her character in a sentimental fashion, which would be typical for the situation her character's in. instead, her behaviour is erratic, almost farcical, which makes her grief all the more devastating. Shame she never got nominated for an Oscar or Golden Globe.

Riveting film with brilliant ensemble!

I noticed most of the zero's on here dismiss Magnolia as a boring or artsy film people enjoy because it makes them feel smart. Magnolia makes you feel smart because it IS smart. In fact, P.T. Anderson's shattering of narrative convention is the most unique undertaking since Citizen Kane. I won't ruin the ending, but I will say that different aspects of the film, from the characters to the themes, have already started to converge, making the ending acceptable. Some character studies are boring and have an unwarranted reputation, but not here. If your smart enough and want to invest some time towards wrapping your head around this one, you'll be amazed.… Expand

Magnolia is one of those movies which exposes all of the emotions in the viewer.At points it raised a wry smile,at times I had to try my hardest to supress my tears.And because of the very authentic characterisation of the film,it was painful to watch,the realisations and lives of some of the characters-esp Claudia's.I would not give this a film a perfect 10 due to the length,and also I think there could have been greater exlanation of the character of the Stanley's father. Overall though this film is just pure art,and the performances(especiallly Melora Waters) were astonishing.… Expand

P.T. Anderson was 29 when this was made. Most filmmakers never achieve this height of brilliance in a lifetime. It stands as a singular achievement from any moment in cinematic history.

One of my five all-time favorites. Right up there with Pulp Fiction, Dr. Strangelove, Ed Wood, and Raging Bull. PT Anderson is a wonder to behold, and the development of his career at such a young age leaves me dumbfounded. I can't even imagine the beginning of writing this film, let alone directing it. As complex as a rubik's cube, and as genuinely emotional as any film I've seen, this deserves an immediate buy. Not rental. Not pay-per-view. BUY!… Expand

This movie is so brilliant, it's blinding. Each and every scene is wrought with pure gold, in visuals, in dialogue, in performance, in everything. Julianne Moore is absolutely amazing, Tom Cruise can knock you over, William H. Macy is perfect, and, as always, Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a subtle and strong performance in support. Truly awesome.

Very original with ripe performances.

Definately of the best films in the history of the cinema. at first i was slightly confused by the entire thing, especially the ending, but i thought about it for weeks, and i realized that i don't have to understand the wild ending, if a film makes me think about it for a week, it is amazing. I just came to except that the ending was a biblical referance which kind of brought everyone back to reality. amazing!!!… Expand

One of the best films in the last 10 years.

Jaw droppingly awesome. John C. Reily was phenomenal in his goodie too shoes cop role.

An emotional masterpiece.

My favorite movie ever. A beautiful, bold and downright astonishing exploration of a group of realistic and convoluted characters with so many interlocking themes, similarities and events you could fill a book. Incredible acting, an ingenious and entrancing ending sequence, praiseworthy direction, a wonderful script and original songs by the terrific Aimee Mann all bolster this into a hypnotic masterpiece. One thing I will say, though, is that you need to watch this film when you have 3 free hours and nothing on your mind. Let it suck you in... if you are not paying attention, or if you are overthinking, you will hate it.… Expand

Brilliant and genius are some words that can be used to describe Paul Andersons new film Magnolia. Magnolia is about 9 lives that some way or another has love screwed up.

This is the greatest film ever made.

Previously on Metacritic: Gordon M. wrote an interesting and thought-provoking review thing about the aspects of Pulp Fiction he found offensive, even sociopathic. It was interesting enough that I posted a partly-congratulatory response, despite that I'd already done a review of the film (still getting away with it, not sure how...[Ed: because we dig you, GM...]). Here, he quite tragically does the opposite. Unlike with Pulp, where he just couldn't get to the good bits from the bits that annoyed him, with Magnolia, he's clearly resisting the film - consciously resisting, mind you, and then blaming it on PT Anderson. Oh, and calling it "sappy" presumably because it deals with Human Emotion. "PT Anderson plays Leo Buscalia and hugs them all and pops the champagne bottle bubbling with tears" - When does he do that? I don't remember him doing that. I've read a review on this site saying the same about the end of Schindler's List of all things, and since then have lost all respect for the word. And of course there's the old problem of seeing the film as one thing, not liking that one thing, and then refusing to see it as anything else, which is just a very strange thing to want to do because it spoils everything. "For Anderson, there is only emotional masturbation, Anderson stroking poor Anderson, the outside world turned into a sappy Andersonian theme park where everyone feels as Anderson does, breaks down as Anderson does, throws tantrums for the baby bottle, and finds the great, noble, and sappy Andersonian truth at the spiritual dawn of a new day". What? What? You think that's what the film's about? Really? Well, okay, but evidently you don't like that, and so you're just spoiling it for yourself. I thought it was about the characters, not some strange abstraction about PT's ego. Don't remember any masturbation either. Or a song and dance number; "Wise Up" has no dancing, barely any singing from anyone bar the great Aimee Mann, and is hardly "Doe A Deer A Female Deer" lyrically. And it's so not sappy it's almost amazing. Other things. "Human misery is tranformed into the simple formula of thumbsucking infantile cry for mama's nipples" If you got that impression, that's okay, but why you would is beyond me. "Anderson wants us to feel so close to his losers that he takes every pitiful, pathetic, neurotic trifle as grave, indeed Biblical in their, ehem, tragic dimensions." You reckon? Okay, but again, you're the one bursting your own beachball here. "Anderson avoids this and goes a roundabout way of framing his stories in some pseudo-profound metaphysical mumbo jumbo." No, he doesn't, he introduces a concept in the pre-credits sequence and hangs the whole film on it, start to finish. It just didn't work for you. Shame. Hey, I meant it when I said I felt sorry for YMC; when I see people letting abstract concepts get in the way of their enjoyment and appreciation of a movie, song, cucumber, whatever, it hurts me. It's not as if you can't not like a film, I'm not a fascist or anything. It's just when your reasons for not liking a film are so nebulous it's like buying an ice-cream, taking one lick and throwing it away because you didn't want it after all. It's a waste of ice-cream. Look, movies, songs, cucumbers, you review them on their terms or not at all. Gordon and Yoon both watched them on terms they made up and then didn't like them. Others - Roger Ebert for instance - let the chips fall where they may, and recognised a masterpiece - and it is a masterpiece: quality is absolute, not relative, and the true merits of the film are there to be seen whether you can see them or not. Roger and I had a much better time watching Magnolia than Yoon or Gordon. In fact, we very probably have a much better time at the movies in general than them. Only see what Anderson wants you to see. Don't make assumptions on that score. Stop worrying for three hours and watch the movie. Then decide what PT's doing. Not what you think he's doing, what he is doing. And don't use the word "sappy" so often. At times like this, I like to remind myself that the papers in the mid-19th Century mocked Isambard Kingdom Brunel for a creator of follies. People in glass houses. Sorry.… Expand

Easily the best movie ever made. I can't believe people can actually give it bad reviews. There are no flaws in this film. The movie can seem to lag at times, but it all pays out in the end. Great acting by most notably by Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, and William H. Macy.

It's the film I've seen the most and I find new details every time. It's absolutely great.

A miracle. I couldn't believe what I was watching. Every single scene is absolute magic. This movie touched me in ways I could never expect, and I wished it would never end. The cast is flawless, the cinematography is amazing, and most importantly, the script and directing are just cinematic perfection. Hands down.

Masterful work!

This movie is too good to be true. although it is a bit confusing, it kept me glued. the acting is the best i've ever seem in a movie. i rave and rave to everyone i know about this movie. i may put this dvd in a glass case and lock it up.......that's how much this movie means to me.

I was speechless after watching this film lately. I heard good things about it and never had the chance to watch it. At first I thought it felt like experienmental film. Then I realized this film wasn't the conventional single-story driven film that an average hollywood films portray. It was expressing life as a community. Well, a community of a small group. This LIFE felt CHAOS from start to end. To smile it off at the bitter facts of life it decided to throw in the frogs.… Expand

By far the best movie of 1999. Writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson has given birth to a true timeless masterpiece.

Grandly emotional, brilliantly edited, and makes use of music in startlingly original and profound ways. However, this sprawling opus isn't perfect; It's a bit hard to follow and some plot points get left dangling. The cast is excellent, and while it isn't flawless, it is a great film. Definitely worth seeing.

What a raw and powerful film that succeeds in every category possible. Writing, directing, acting, editing, camera work are all fantastic in another PT Anderson masterpiece. All the more great because it is a film that denies hollywood convention and instead creates something more bizarre and memorable and a work of art that demands to be seen and talked about.

Few people seem to understand this movie, but then few people understand me either. We are damaged, the film's characters and I. We struggle with pain and a crippled emotional life. It is a beautiful film. It sings a lovely and desperate song.

Every so often a movie that you have heard a lot about but never seen blows your mind. Magnolia is one of those movies for me. Immediately after viewing this film I knew that it would be on my mind for weeks and that it would become one of my top 10 films. Every character in this movie is interesting on multiple levels. Every scene in this movie is thoughtful and poignant. The scenes that opponents of this film have problems with, the frogs and the musical interlude, work for me in every way. Both these scenes do seem out of place in this story, but for me that is what makes them amazing. They come from nowhere, but interlock these characters in a visceral, interesting way. There is so much to unravel in a film this large, with multiple plot lines and characters running both separate from each other and together at various times. You could probably write a book trying to accurately review this movie. I look forward to watching this movie again and again over the years, and trying to unravel all the characters and premises in my mind.… Expand