Magnolia Movie Review 1999

It's a really long, frantic, and surreal look into a 24-hour series of interlocking stories, with a fine ensemble cast. Bad dads Jimmy Gator (Hall) and Earl Partridge (Robards) are both dying and estranged from their children--Jimmy's coke-addicted daughter, Claudia (Walters), and Earl's flashy motivational speaker son, Frank (Cruise). Earl's trophy wife Linda (Moore) is having a breakdown but he's being cared for by kind-hearted nurse Phil (Hoffman). And then there's a popular game show (of which Jimmy is the host) and its current and past quiz kids, and a rain of frogs, and everyone suddenly breaks into song, and, well, just watch it.

Distribution

New Line Home Video, 116 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, Phone: (310)854-5811, Fax: (310)854-1824, URL: http://www.newline.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 188 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

A Day in the Life. . ., Bad Dads, Death & the Afterlife, Marriage, Sex & Sexuality, Cops, Drug Use & Abuse, Look Ma! I'm on TV!, Terminal Illness, Reunited, Family Reunions

Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast

Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Baker Hall, Melora Walters, John C. Reilly, Melinda Dillon, William H. Macy, Michael Bowen, Jeremy Blackman, Emmanuel Johnson

Cinematography

Robert Elswit

Director

Paul Thomas Anderson

Music

Jon Brion, Aimee Mann

Producer

New Line Cinema

Awards

Golden Globes 2000: Support. Actor (Cruise); Natl. Bd. of Review 1999: Support. Actor (Hoffman), Support. Actress (Moore).