Magnolia (1999)

Film: Magnolia

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Country: USA

Released: December 1999

Runtime: 188 minutes

Genre: Drama

Studio: New Line Cinema

Influenced: Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, Sofia Coppola, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Todd Solondz

Boogie Nights (1997), a film that I absolutely adore for its 70s nostalgia in the same way that I love Linklater's Dazed & Confused (1993), was very nearly my first Paul Thomas Anderson entry here, but there's something about the audaciousness of Magnolia that makes it PTA's greatest movie of the 20th century. The film's intricate narrative structure, extensive ensemble cast and exploration of interconnected lives reveal its great debt to the work of Robert Altman, even down to the casting of Henry Gibson, who was the country music star of Altman's Nashville (1975). On the back of the huge success of Boogie Nights, PTA was essentially given carte blanche by New Line Cinema for his next film, Magnolia, and this is reflected in the epic scale of the movie that involves eight stories, nine main characters, two dying men and lots (and lots) of angst. It's hard to say what the film is truly about, but a common thread throughout the blossoming narrative structure of Magnolia is the theme of parent-child relationships and how the behaviour of one generation can impact the lives of the next. 

PTA only set out to make a small movie after the success of Boogie Nights but ended up pouring his heart & soul into the script. He wrote the film's characters with specific actors – such as John C Reilly, Philip Seymour Hofmann, etc – in mind, while others like Tom Cruise approached PTA after seeing Boogie Nights, requesting to work with him. Cruise is magnificent as self-help guru Frank TJ Mackey, who unravels during the course of an interview, getting caught up in his own lies. April Grace is superb in the role of the smart and delicate interviewer, Gwenovier. Some of the film's themes were inspired by the songs of Aimee Mann, whose music plays a significant role in the film's soundtrack. PTA encouraged her to write songs for the film by sending her a copy of the script, which led to two new tracks – You Do, which was based on a character later cut from the film, and Save Me, which closes the film.

Magnolia weaves together multiple interconnected storylines that take place over the course of a single day in the San Fernando Valley. The film explores themes of chance, coincidence and the search for meaning. Some of the key storylines include: The decline of TV producer Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), who is on his deathbed, and the estranged relationship with his misogynist son, Frank TJ Mackey; the lives of various people connected to the game show "What Do Kids Know?" including the show's host Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall) and the former champion Donnie Smith (William H Macy); and the story of a police officer, Jim Kurring (John C Reilly), who investigates a disturbance and becomes involved with a troubled woman, Claudia Wilson Gator (Melora Walters). As well as using innovative editing and experimental long takes, Anderson also refined the "whip pan" technique in Boogie Nights and Magnolia, a quick camera move from one object or person to another, creating a blur or whip-like effect to create a sense of urgency or disorientation.

Magnolia also features memorable moments of magical realism, such as frogs falling from the sky, adding to its surreal and emotionally charged atmosphere. The sequence of frogs falling from the sky was inspired by the works of Charles Fort, a researcher of unusual phenomena. The frogs used in the scene were real, live frogs (mainly African clawed frogs), and the scene was filmed inside a soundstage, allowing for complete control and humane treatment of the frogs. The scene was shot over several days, with multiple takes required to achieve the desired effect, and digital effects were used in post-production to refine the overall look. Magnolia received critical acclaim on release and was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay. The film won the Golden Bear at the 1999 Berlin International Film Festival, while the cast received numerous accolades and nominations, including Cruise earning a Golden Globe for his performance. The role was a departure for Cruise from his usual heroic fare and rightly earned him critical acclaim. Other notable star turns in Magnolia include the performances of Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman, while it warms the heart to see Gibson and Robards given a chance to shine for a new generation.