How much credit do we give to risk takers, the ones who are not afraid to step off from the ledge to look below? Sometimes, the often-fragmented end result is more progressive than any other mainstream product. Without straying from the middle road, we risk producing cookie-cutter ideas, which hinders any viable look at an alternative. Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia is a film that pushes this envelope. Not meant to be taken in as 1 Serving of Filmed Entertainment, but rather requires digesting over a period of time.
To even begin to describe the plot of Magnolia would do it injustice (somewhat similar to the makeup of Being John Malkovich). To sketch certain scenes would be useless without the overall picture. Rather, a brief synopsis of each player would give a better roadmap:
Officer Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly): A loving, innocent police officer, Kurring offers the most heartwarming portrayal of any character. His belief in spirituality and the good nature of man lends us a little help in the overall bleak landscape.
Frank Mackey (Tom Cruise): A super-hyped, sex-help guru, Mackey is a man's Man. His diatribes on the game between men and women are a chauvinistic, yet often funny account on the battle that occurs over sexual relationships.
Earl Partridge (Jason Robards): Bedridden and dying of cancer, Earl simply only has one remaining wish: to see his estranged son. Robards' performance is an amazing, if difficult one to view at times.
Phil Farma (Philip Seymour Hoffman): A loving nurse, Phil is truly dedicated to taking care of the elderly. Phil takes it upon himself to see that Earl's last wish is produced. One of the few characters that adds a semblance of good to this tale.
Linda Partridge (Julianne Moore): In an ironic twist, Linda has finally fallen in love with her husband, whom she married simply for money years ago. Her performance of a drug-dependent confused women is dramatic, yet is sometimes limited by her character.
Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman): Stanley is a child quiz show genius. His ability to remember the minutiae is his wicked father's meal ticket. Probably needed to give some background story to another former child quiz show star, Donnie Smith.
Donnie Smith (William H. Macy): Donnie is a former child quiz show in the '60's who lost it all. His reluctance to let go of the past affects his current not-so-glamorous life.
Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker Hall): The host of the child quiz show, he has recently learned that he has terminal cancer. His role, as is many of the characters, centers on the theme of redemption. With the news of imminent death, Jimmy begins to right the things that have plagued him throughout this life.
Claudia Gator (Melora Walters): A coke addict, she remains a recluse in her own home. After a bitter dispute many years ago, she remains estranged from both her parents.
The cast of characters that makes up Magnolia is absolutely brilliant. Most of the actors had also previously been in Anderson's last 2 films (another Altman twist). The star of the show has to be John C. Reilly's portrayal of Officer Jim Kurring. His role of an unselfish, God-loving police officer was the small amount of glue that kept the multi-faceted storyline together. William H. Macy never disappoints as the consummate failure and continues his streak here. Same goes for Julianne Moore, whose performance is outstanding, if limited. In an unusual choice, Tom Cruise plays sex-help guru Frank Mackey. While Cruise does an excellent job, the testosterone-addled part is a break from his typical Hollywood leading man. Although Philip Seymour Hoffman has made over 25 films in under a decade, he has quietly risen to the ranks of the great character actor. He always seems to be perfect fit for the roles he chooses. As a relative newcomer, Melora Walters does a superb job as the tortured drug addict.
Paul Thomas Anderson has continually progressed in his short film career. From the edgy Hard Eight, to the critically-praised Boogie Nights, he has always raised the bar. With Magnolia, he has himself stated that this was "unquestionably the best film I will ever make." Anderson is an extremely gifted filmmaker that will continue to pique the interest of filmgoers in the years to come.
Magnolia is not a perfect film. It's a ride on a roller coaster, thrown into a whirlpool, and then dropped off a cliff. It's rough, edgy, and at times, very disjointed. But this blemish is also its beauty. How difficult is it to thread a similar theme through 9 characters and keep it going for 3 hours? Maybe this film isn't Robert Altman's Short Cuts (which it will always be compared with) but so what. Tackling a theme of loss and redemption is a lofty goal in itself, now magnify that over a very diverse storyline, and you are left with a Herculean task.
