Magnolia (1999) Rank 4 Reviews

Matinee Magazine (Chuck Rudolph)

Magnolia achieves a blinding grace in how its juxtaposition of the many storylines begins to confront and examine universal truths. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Matinee Magazine (Chuck Rudolph)

The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)

Many contemporary films deal with loneliness, bitterness and despair -- "Short Cuts", "American Beauty" and "Happiness" are among the most acclaimed. "Magnolia" is better than all of them because its confidence and passion is so much louder. At times, ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)

A little love can go a long way. But it's not always easy to find.Sometimes it takes a bit of forgiveness. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride. Sometimes you have to learn how to recognize it. Sometimes you need to learn to love ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)

Movielocity Movie Reviews (Blake Kunisch)

When it comes to the end of the year, one begins to look back at the year in film and try and pick the best movie, best actor, best actress and see how his picks will do against the major awards (globes, oscars). As I began to look back, I thought that ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Movielocity Movie Reviews (Blake Kunisch)

Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

The title of the film comes from the name on the L.A. street sign. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

The film does go on for too long, with the only thing that could save it from never ending is a biblical miracle, but it settles instead for a plague right out of Exodus in the Bible to make its farewell. That improbable ending was set up and apologized ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

Cinematic Reflections (Derek Smith)

This ingenious film interweaves the intensely personal and complex dynamics of the sins of the parents (actually fathers) visited on their children who struggle to escape the paternal grip on their lives. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Cinematic Reflections (Derek Smith)

AboutFilm.com (Dana Knowles)

It could legitimately be said that Magnolia's story is minimal in terms of plot or action. It could also be said that the revelations about various characters are nothing new to modern cinema, and that the specific points being made about the human ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at AboutFilm.com (Dana Knowles)

Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)

Writer-director P.T. (formerly Paul Thomas) Anderson's last film "Boogie Nights" seemed like the work of a filmmaker that had spent a lot of time studying "Scorcese For Dummies". But somewhere between the making of that film and "Magnolia" - his opus ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)

JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")

A wonderfully crafted picture, this movie sweeps you through the lives of many interesting characters, develops several extremely memorable sequences which will likely stick in your mind for years to come, and offers many of today's top character actors ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")

The Spinning Image (Graeme Clark)

It's a world where strange things can happen, such as coincidences and bizarre tragedies. Here are a collection of people who are already connected, or will be by the end of one day in Los Angeles. Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) is a bedridden TV mogul ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at The Spinning Image (Graeme Clark)

Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)

The film explores some powerful themes: The power of love and the power of family, and how people can fritter those precious things away. It tells of broken hearts and bitterness, and how broken hearts can be mended with the power of love. It tells how ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)

Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)

Magnolia is way too much to take in at once. A second viewing isn't just preferable, it's essential, and the film has been made with this in mind. Saying that, it clocks in at over three hours, so Paul Anderson is asking a hell of a lot from his ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)

TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)

Magnolia is a mind-blowing masterpiece of a movie--heavy in drama, intense emotional material, characters, and underlying themes. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)

Fantastica Daily (Mervius)

Fresh fresh fresh. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Fantastica Daily (Mervius)

New York Post (Lou Lumenick)

It's an audacious, hilarious, deeply affecting three-hour tapestry. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)

Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)

Magnificent masterwork! ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)

Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)

A stunning achievement. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)

Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)

If the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave out a special Oscar for the year's most ambitious movie, 1999 would be no contest. The hands-down winner in that category is Paul Thomas Anderson's epic-length cornucopia of scintillating characters ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)

MovieFreak.com (Mike McLarney)

Loneliness and despair run rampant throughout Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia", the follow up to his 1997 hit "Boogie Nights." The story follows the lives of several inhabitants of the San Fernando Valley, each one stumbling around in their own ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at MovieFreak.com (Mike McLarney)

Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)

"Magnolia" is magnificent! You know those plate jugglers? The ones that start a plate spinning up on a bendy rod. That's impressive enough, isn't it? But they set up another and another, until ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)

Dustin Putman

Only artificially resembling a Robert Altman ensemble picture (1975's "Nashville," 1993's "Short Cuts"), but acquiring a storytelling approach and technical style all its own, "Magnolia" is unlike anything I've seen before, and when you can assuredly ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Dustin Putman

Michael Dequina

This highly kinetic sequence, fueled by energized editing and camera work, is ultimately held together by the song that plays in the background, a tune that succinctly sums up the main feeling of the characters and the film itself: Aimee Mann's cover of ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Michael Dequina

Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

Grey skies are going to clear up, but not before writer-director P.T. Anderson drags his characters through heaven and hell in "Magnolia." One half biblical epic, one half human opera, "Magnolia" emerges as one of the best films of 1999. "Magnolia" ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

Donlee Brussel

Half the people who witnessed Magnolia cherished and extolled it. Now Magazine, WGN Radio, and Matinee Magazine all had it on their top ten movies of the decade lists, while Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times), Michael Dequina (Movie Report), David Ansen ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Donlee Brussel

Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)

Notorious as the underseen, hyper-extended something-or-other for which Tom Cruise got a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, Magnolia is a veritable orgy of a movie--love it or hate it, it's impossible to ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)

filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Sooner or later, every director makes his Short Cuts. Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights) only waited until his third film to make his, an over-three-hour epic with at least 10 major characters in almost as many separate story lines. And thanks to ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

Without a doubt, MAGNOLIA is my personal pick for best film of 1999, and if it weren't or THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, I'd say it was the best film of the 90s.  No, it wasn't nominated for an Academy Award, and with weaker films like THE SIXTH ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

Movie-Vault.com (Ian Barr)

Magnolia would have to stand as one of the successfully ambitious films I have ever seen. What could have been, and some say is, a mess, turns out to be an absolute masterpiece, and one of the best ten films I have ever seen. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Movie-Vault.com (Ian Barr)

Alex Ioshpe

Paul T. Anderson's 'Magnolia' is truly an exotic flower, dazzling with its freshness and beauty. And the closer you look, the more you see of its splendor. Other critics have already written many reviews depicting its length and dullness. There are many ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Alex Ioshpe

DVDActive (Chris Gould)

Magnolia is not quite up there with Fight Club or The Shawshank Redemption in my list of all-time favourites, but its not too far behind. It may take repeated viewings to glean everything that can be gleaned from Magnolia, but it is well worth the time ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at DVDActive (Chris Gould)

Flipside Movie Emporium (Gauti Fridriksson)

I cannot imagine a film with more atmosphere, more emotional intensity, a film as flat-out beautiful as Magnolia. It paints a portrait of life itself, and the portrait is such an exceedingly beautiful and mysterious one that I am shaken to my ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium (Gauti Fridriksson)

Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice

Paul Thomas Anderson's examination of dysfunctional relationships set in Los Angeles, is spread across a cast of characters too real for the movies. These characters -- the game show host, the dying man, the motivational speaker, the child prodigy, the ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice

Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)

Is it true that Paul Thomas Anderson's new film Magnolia is too ambitious? Yes, there are a few too many plots going on at ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)

Moovees.com (Jay Tierney)

Apparently Being John Malkovich has a competitor for the strangest film of 1999 -- Magnolia. Whether you love or hate writer/director P.T. Anderson, he is certainly shaping up to be one of the most interesting directors in all of Hollywood. I enjoyed one ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Moovees.com (Jay Tierney)

Boxoffice Magazine

Carl Jung defined synchronicity as being "a meaningful coincidence of two or more events, where something other than the probability of chance is involved" and, more succinctly, "an effect without a cause. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Boxoffice Magazine

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

"Magnolia" is operatic in its ambition, a great, joyous leap into melodrama and coincidence, with ragged emotions, crimes and punishments, deathbed scenes, romantic dreams, generational ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)

CAST: Tom Cruise STUDIO: New Line RATING: 4.5/10 Magnolia Magnolia is the perfect example of why it is that reviews don't mean a thing. I heard everyone raving about this movie like it was the second coming of Christ, but I saw it and thought it ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)

CinemaSense.Com: Movie Reviews of the Heart

This ingenious film interweaves the intensely personal and complex dynamics of the sins of the parents (actually fathers) visited on their children who struggle to escape the paternal grip on their lives. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at CinemaSense.Com: Movie Reviews of the Heart

PreViewed DVD

One of the most controversial movies of 1999 ,Magnolia received accolades and criticisms by the handful. It was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Tom Cruise), and Best Original Song), it took a Golden ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at PreViewed DVD

The Cincinnati Enquirer (Margaret A. McGurk)

After Hard Eight and Boogie Nights, we had a pretty good idea that filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson was a genuine prodigy. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at The Cincinnati Enquirer (Margaret A. McGurk)

digitallyOBSESSED.com (Kevin Clemons)

Magnolia is a true masterpiece of a movie-heavy in drama, intense in its emotional material, characters, and underlying themes. At three hours and fifteen minutes, the film is an amazing epic of artistic triumph. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at digitallyOBSESSED.com (Kevin Clemons)

Ron Small

As the millennium approached, various religious zealots predicted the end of the world. These knuckleheads made the assumption that Earth would be no more because of a passage in the bible hinting that "something" would happen following the commencement ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Ron Small

DVD Verdict (Harold Gervais)

I know I have written this before but the more I think about it and the more I see other movies from last year, the more I am convinced that for film, 1999 was a pretty special year. With Magnolia standing tall in last year's company, P. T. Anderson has ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at DVD Verdict (Harold Gervais)

Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)

If you've got the time and a cast iron butt, you should definitely take this in. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)

Film Freak Central (Bill Chambers)

Magnolia is a deeply felt kitchen sink movie reminiscent, in a good way. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Film Freak Central (Bill Chambers)

Apollo Guide

This film is about coincidence. It's about loss. It's about finding something you didn't think you could find. The lives of several troubled people intertwine on one rainy day in Los ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Apollo Guide

Boxoffice Magazine

Depending on one's affinity for a certain kind of amphibian and its appropriateness in certain kinds of screen storytelling, "Magnolia" is either a masterpiece, a flawed work of art or an unbearable heap of pretentious, manipulative dung. Most opinions ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Boxoffice Magazine

FilmHead.com (Matt Heffernan)

Wow, what a year! What started like a typical weekend of unexceptional Hollywood fluff has been shaken up. There have been some pretty weird films this year, ranging from Election to Being John Malkovich, but Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia takes the ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at FilmHead.com (Matt Heffernan)

reVision

Leggiamo nell'introduzione al secondo volume Einaudi della Storia del cinema: "La storia del cinema americano Ã¨ una storia grande, smisurata, non comparabile con nessun'altra per le dimensioni economico-produttive, la continuitÃ dei risultati e gli ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at reVision

Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)

Take a day (a long one) in the San Fernando Valley, mix in a bunch of oddly connected story lines, a pinch on synchronicity, a dash of humor, a cup of pathos, a leap of faith and you have 29 year old writer and director PT Anderson 's ( Boogie Nights) ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)

The Boston Phoenix

Last year, maverick filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson burst from the indie fold with the surprise critical and box-office hit Boogie Nights. Bolstered by this success and studio backing, he returns with Magnolia, a movie even more brilliant and, at over ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at The Boston Phoenix

The Squiz: Cine Philes ("Guido Mezzabotta")

Paul Thomas Anderson's new film, "Magnolia," is an astonishing work. Anderson has not only fully realized the promise shown with his highly acclaimed and controversial "Boogie Nights," but has taken cinema to a new and fascinating ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at The Squiz: Cine Philes ("Guido Mezzabotta")

DVDActive (Pete Roberts)

This movie pushes the boundaries of film-making and proves that ambition can really produce some outstanding work. Magnolia is no exception. Fans of this movie will want to go to bed with this DVD ensemble, while others will merely marvel at the ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at DVDActive (Pete Roberts)

SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)

An intricate mosaic of emotional stories intertwined by coincidence, "Magnolia" is an elegant expose of human frailty written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who demonstrated his gift for burrowing under his characters' skins in 1997's melancholy ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)

The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)

Does the film NEED to be three hours long? It's a moot point. It would be impossible to tell all these stories in less time; the question is, do ALL these stories need to be told? I say no, although I was honestly interested in each of them. I just ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)

Shay Casey

This film interlocks the stories of several apparently disparate characters in the San Fernando Valley. First we have dying TV mogul Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), who wastes away under the care of his golddigging wife Linda (Julianne Moore) and hired ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Shay Casey

Lars Lindahl

"Magnolia" is a clever, well thought out film from prodigy directorwriter Paul Thomas Anderson of "Boogie Nights" fame. The detailed character analyses and the powerful script make "Magnolia" memorable. However, what really is impressive is that even ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Lars Lindahl

San Francisco Chronicle (Bob Graham)

Any director who shuffles the stories of nine major characters over the course of three solid hours, as Paul Thomas Anderson does, had better come up with a flabbergasting climax. In ``Magnolia,'' damned if he doesn't. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Bob Graham)

eye WEEKLY (Jason Anderson)

Just another day in the San Fernando Valley, right? Say hello to your new friends. There's the dying TV producer (Jason Robards), his male nurse (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the producer's pill-popping trophy wife (Julianne Moore) and woman-hating ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at eye WEEKLY (Jason Anderson)

Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson brings us his third movie after Hard Eight and Boogie Nights (both 1997) with more confidence and skill than his 29 years would suggest. He belongs in the canon with Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, and Quentin ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

Soundwaves Cinema (Kristina Schneider)

An emotional storm is brewing in the San Fernando Valley. The weather forecast is partly cloudy, 82% chance of rain. The atmosphere is heavy with rising painful antagonism and dark clouds of resentment are forming. Restlessness prevails as we are ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Soundwaves Cinema (Kristina Schneider)

World Socialist Web Site

Magnolia is unwieldy, ambitious, often very moving, at times superficial and wrongheaded. Parts of it are worth supporting and praising, other parts are ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at World Socialist Web Site

Images (Gary Johnson)

When Paul Thomas Anderson began writing Magnolia, he wanted "something small and intimate"--something he could shoot in 30 days. But as he wrote, his characters began to take ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Images (Gary Johnson)

Marshall Garvey

director Kevin Smith being the most notable, declared it boring andpretentious. Watching the picture, I admittedly had mixed feelings atcertain times, and the film's multifaceted storyline doesn't quitemanage to satisfyingly fill the threehour running ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Marshall Garvey

Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)

Is it art raised to its highest form, or simply the pretentious masturbation of a wealthy director who has found the backing to put it on the screen? That's up to the viewer to decide, but in any case, Magnolia is certainly fascinating. ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

With Magnolia, director Paul Thomas Anderson has segued into the realm of the three hour movie. It's an ambitious step to take - making lengthy, ensemble movies with tangentially related and occasionally interconnected storylines can be a risky endeavor, ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

DVD Talk (Chuck Arrington)

In it's three-hour and three minute running time, I was thoroughly engrossed. If there is one thing wrong with Magnolia it is the lack of a commentary track on the how's and why's certain things happened and progressed. Never before have I seen a film ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at DVD Talk (Chuck Arrington)

TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

...read the complete Magnolia movie review at TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

Scott Renshaw

That sequence in MAGNOLIA is one of the year's best pieces of filmmaking, and I could name a dozen more moments from the film that will be sticking in my memory. If Anderson had pulled all those pieces of filmmaking together into a stronger whole, ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Scott Renshaw

Gary Jones

Technically, Magnolia, is bigbudget American indie at its best and is beautifully photographed by Robert Elswit. Some haunting songs by Aimee Mann feature in several key sequences, including an effective scene in which we cut from one strand of the film ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Gary Jones

Edward Johnson-Ott

After an epic like "Boogie Nights," you might expect a young writer/director like Paul Thomas Anderson to follow it up with something short and breezy. Instead, the 28yearold has crafted a wildly ambitious mosaic featuring multiple storylines, roughly ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Edward Johnson-Ott

Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)

Watching P.T. Anderson's "Magnolia" is like moving deep into the heart of a vertiginous spiral. "Magnolia" takes place over one day in Los Angeles and tells interlocking stories involving a dozen different characters. The first hour and a half of the ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Not since Robert Altman's Short Cuts have we seen such a finely-tuned ensemble piece. Yet a direct comparison between the two films would be somewhat misleading. Thematically, at least when considering ...read the complete Magnolia movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

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Magnolia (1999) Rank 4 Reviews

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