Magnolia

Magnolia (1999) runs 189 minutes and carries nine stories at once. Paul Thomas Anderson made it at twenty nine. One day in the San Fernando Valley. A dying producer, his young wife, his carer, the son he lost, a policeman in love, a child prodigy, a former child prodigy, a game show host and his daughter. All of them connect somewhere, and the film refuses to underline the connections. The subject is coincidence and fathers. In nearly every strand a father has either left or broken something, and the film does not set out to repair it. Tom Cruise does the most unusual work of his career here and was nominated for it. He plays a seminar guru and his first appearance is not forgettable. Two choices are argued over: the moment every character sings the same song, and the event in the finale. Both split audiences. Anderson defends them, and the justification is laid out in the film's first ten minutes. Good for: long and ambitious American drama, ensemble storytelling, and Anderson's work. Less good for: 189 minutes is hard in one sitting. It contains suicide, child abuse and addiction. Anyone wanting a straight story will not get one.