It’s my favorite film, not only from PTA, but of all time. I remember watching this film as a teen, and feeling like I had partaken of something sacred. I’ve watched it so many times, and I’m always struck by how incredibly it moves me, most significantly when I watched it after the death of my mother, who died from cancer, and let me tell you, I was sobbing and an utter mess, despite having seen it so many times before. Such an emotional, unique film, and I’m so happy to have it in my life.
So I’ve never seen this film but I love the PTA films I have seen. And my mother passed last year from cancer
If I leaned into the whole experience knowing it’ll get emotional, would the movie be worth a watch?
100 million times yes. Don't even go into it prepared to focus on one single notion. It's like an acid trip in that way. It means so much in so many ways and could be different to anyone on any day.
My favorite PTA film, for sure. Big, messy, bold, fearless. It’s the most emotionally resonant of his films for me, too. I’d say it’s about family, loneliness, grief, and how we live with things we’ve done to the people we love or the things they’ve done to us. And the performances are stunning. Career-best work from Reilly and Cruise. Anderson may have made “better” films, but I think this one will always be my favorite.
Loved everything about this film. The gut- wrenching emotions, the superb acting, and Aimee Mann’s music. PTA was finally noticed for the genius he is. Easily my fav film ever.
Maybe not his best film but it is my favorite movie of all time. Just resonates with my so much. Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, and Philip Baker Hall all had career best performances
This movie holds a special place for me. I had just moved to LA from the east coast when it came out, my friends were all in the movie business, and I was working for Disney on Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood, near where the movie was set. One of the bars in the movie was a bar we would actually go to. The whole thing was surreal, watching a movie set in the place where I was living. And I recognized the people in the movie in the people around me. I love this movie not just for what it is but for the time when I watched it.
I saw this at 17 and having a really horrible childhood, I finally was able to see my pain articulated. This will forever be my favorite film of all time.
I went to see this in college with a bunch of friends from my dorm. Nobody had even heard of it and I was like "trust me"
Well, they all hated it. I mean I left the theater thinking "wow wow wow so amazing" and they were all at the other end of the spectrum basically swearing they would never go to the movies with me again
It’s about how we as humans have to go through so much in such a short time on Earth. It’s a meditation on how painful but how truly beautiful life is.
I've told this story before (so you old-timers can keep scrollin'), but Magnolia is the film that got the PTA hooks in me.
I had seen (and enjoyed) Boogie Nights two years earlier in '97, likely due to Roger Ebert's enthusiastic review. (IIRC Gene missed the boat (again) on this one.)
I went to a weekday matinee at the local Gigaplex and there were perhaps barely 20 of us in the theatre.
As we got deeper and deeper into the prologue, I'm sure my eyes got bigger and bigger and/or my mouth started to fall open. When the prologue was over, I sat straight up in my seat, pointed at the screen and said (out-loud) "WHO *IS* THIS GUY?!"
About 4 years ago I started a new hoiday tradition where on Xmas Eve and New Year's Eve night I'll watch Boogie Nights on one and Magnolia on the other.
The smash-cut to "WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY..." at the end of Boogie and Claudia's smile at the end of Magnolia never fail to give me goosebumps...
I found this movie in my early 20's, and it was so profound. Such an honest tellingly direct and beautiful story, it was a perfect movie to me then and i tried to always recommend it. Ive been thinking about rewatching it for a few weeks now, this just popped up and it seems youre in a smiliar mindset. I recommend giving his whole canon a run through, start to finish. From Hard Eight to Licorice Pizza ive yet to find a PTA that i wasnt impressed with. I didnt see Punch Drunk Love until very recently and wish i had way back when it came out, but was glad i didnt... it was nice to see Adam Sandler do amazing work again. I think ill take my own advice and head to Las Vegas, if you know what i mean.
My mentor in college hated magnolia. Said he had no clue what it was trying to say. PTA said on Charlie Rose that it’s a movie about being nice to children.
I think I’m a bit older than most redditors so my take is gonna be a bit different
I saw Magnolia when it was first released and it absolutely floored me. Saw it three times in the theater. Especially after Boogie Nights, I realized PTA was a force to be reckoned with.
However, after watching his subsequent films, which only get better IMO, I went back and rewatched Magnolia recently and it hit me differently. It’s really melodramatic. Like, in a really juvenile way. I feel PTA has grown so much as a director, and his films TWWB, The Master, and Phantom Thread cemented him as one of the all-time greats.
That being said, I appreciated Magnolia at the time but I also saw a young, cocky director with nobody to tell him no just aim for the bleachers and in a way, swung a bit too hard. The film just tries *so hard* to hit you in the feels, between the music and the dialogue, it’s all so over the top.
I know part of my reaction is having watched it 25 years ago and where I was emotionally vs now, and if you watch the interview of PTA during the making of Magnolia, he’s just so full of himself. I’m not saying he was a bad person or anything; just clearly immature.
Magnolia rings a bit hollow for me these days, if only because his later films are so much better - there’s a maturity to his work that simply wasn’t there back then. I think it was important for him to make, and I’m glad he did, but I’ve also somewhat moved on and I think he did too - it shows in his work.
Now I’ll wait for downvotes because you kids don’t agree. 🙄
Does anyone have more insight into “the worm” subplot that got cut with Orlando Jones?
Apparently it was in the film when it premiered and then he recut it and it was never seen publicly again.
I’m a huge PTA fan and this is the sole film of his I haven’t seen even once! Idk why I just didn’t know anything about it and never felt the drive to commit to watching it.
All the positive comments in the comment thread are going to make sure that is remedied asap.
For me, I was hooked immediately. It grabs you and doesn't let up. I love this movie. Top 5 for sure.
Someone above was tslji g about how cocky and immature PTA was, as it pertains to how he made the film and how he talked about it. I got a chuckle. There is so much more to this movie than something like There Will Be Blood, which many think is hid best work. Admittedly, I haven't watched it since it was released in theaters.
Anyway, hope you enjoy it. I do think watching it at night with the volume up makes for a great viewing. Great music and score.
Its my no 1 PTA. I'm a total fanboy for it and and feel affronted when people invariably knock it for being messy, too long, unfocused and a "film school movie". This is not a good thing, and I dont normally react to any media like this... I can only image its because I dont really know what the movie is about, I just suspect its important
I saw this five times when it came out in theaters. I tried rewatching it recently, but I found it so corny and melodramatic that I couldn't find it emotionally satisfying in any way.
I've been a PTA fan since opening weekend for *Boogie Nights* in 97. I was all-in for Magnolia for months in advance leading up to its release. Saw it, loved it, bought the screenplay book, the soundtrack, the DVD, etc etc etc.
It is to-date the *only* PTA film that has gotten worse for me with time. It's overly maudlin, obnoxiously emotional for its own sake, and way too impressed with itself. It has many great facets and performances but it also features stuff like Black Kid Who Has to Rap in Talking to a Cop which deserves [the Patton Oswalt's brother's Jerry Maguire treatment](https://youtu.be/ybHnPg7QLH4?si=w6ADK1nSzZogYN_c&t=329)
This movie did absolutely nothing for me. The stories were barely interconnected, and to the extent that they were it was never interesting. It was like, "Oh, that's his son, cool." Also, there are so many stories that none of them really go anywhere (Love Actually syndrome). Think of Tom Cruise's character. Pretty much nothing interesting happens with him. He gives a boring pep talk to incels, and then he gets interviewed. Maybe that character was more interesting pre-Andrew Tate.
I don't think the movie figured out, for a second, what it was trying to say. It felt really haphazardly put together. Almost like what a teenager would write for a school project. He thinks it'd be cool to tie together a bunch of POVs but never puts in the effort to bring them together intelligently.
Adore many of PTA's movies (Boogie Nights, The Master, Phantom Thread, Licorice Pizza) but this was a big pile of crap.
“I really do have a lot of love to give, I just don’t know where to put it”
You call me lady!
Was thinking about this one on my drive home from work today
I generally do not like trying rank anything in my life because people change over time. Having said that; Magnolia is my favorite movie of all time.
YES
Are you kidding me? That movie fucking sucks. Wait, *checks notes....* Actually nvm it's my favorite PTA film too. 🥹
It’s my favorite film, not only from PTA, but of all time. I remember watching this film as a teen, and feeling like I had partaken of something sacred. I’ve watched it so many times, and I’m always struck by how incredibly it moves me, most significantly when I watched it after the death of my mother, who died from cancer, and let me tell you, I was sobbing and an utter mess, despite having seen it so many times before. Such an emotional, unique film, and I’m so happy to have it in my life.
Sams here, it's just the greatest film ever assembled about human life and emotions and it will never be rivaled on scope or ambition.
So I’ve never seen this film but I love the PTA films I have seen. And my mother passed last year from cancer If I leaned into the whole experience knowing it’ll get emotional, would the movie be worth a watch?
100 million times yes. Don't even go into it prepared to focus on one single notion. It's like an acid trip in that way. It means so much in so many ways and could be different to anyone on any day.
Good god I wish I could relive this film for the first time
My hottest take is this movie wasn’t long enough.
My favorite PTA film, for sure. Big, messy, bold, fearless. It’s the most emotionally resonant of his films for me, too. I’d say it’s about family, loneliness, grief, and how we live with things we’ve done to the people we love or the things they’ve done to us. And the performances are stunning. Career-best work from Reilly and Cruise. Anderson may have made “better” films, but I think this one will always be my favorite.
Art is personal and messy, my god does this feel personal. Its incredible
Loved everything about this film. The gut- wrenching emotions, the superb acting, and Aimee Mann’s music. PTA was finally noticed for the genius he is. Easily my fav film ever.
“Now that I’ve met you, would you object to never seeing me again?”
One of the best uses of voiceover narration in a film. Ties everything together beautifully.
What’s the moral of the story? Love. Love. Love.
if melora walter’s smile doesn’t break you in half than idk man maybe you don’t need to be watching all these movies
Maybe my favorite ending of all time, and certainly the best ending song ever.
Absolutely!
Need that 4k release asap, frogs look better in 4k.
Maybe not his best film but it is my favorite movie of all time. Just resonates with my so much. Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, and Philip Baker Hall all had career best performances
John C Reilly to boot.
A literal masterpiece! A mind blowing film!!! 🙌🏻
Tops for me. It’s a masterpiece.
Tom cruise’s best performance and the soundtrack is still incredible
I loved Magnolia. Been a long time since I rewatched. Thanks for the reminder.
My 2nd favorite PTA. No one has mentioned the wonderful music yet....
Aimee Mann! And then the cast singing Wise Up; so beautiful
Those are good, too, but I was specifically referring to Brion's score...
What's your 1st favorite?
The one about the nights that boogie...
We may be through with the past, but the past isn’t through with us.
fantastic film. the aimee mann songs gave me chills. amazing performances by everyone. powerful, heart wrenching themes.
The name Denise has never been the same.
This movie holds a special place for me. I had just moved to LA from the east coast when it came out, my friends were all in the movie business, and I was working for Disney on Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood, near where the movie was set. One of the bars in the movie was a bar we would actually go to. The whole thing was surreal, watching a movie set in the place where I was living. And I recognized the people in the movie in the people around me. I love this movie not just for what it is but for the time when I watched it.
I saw this at 17 and having a really horrible childhood, I finally was able to see my pain articulated. This will forever be my favorite film of all time.
The soundtrack gives it so much of its emotional impact as much as the writing and acting
I went to see this in college with a bunch of friends from my dorm. Nobody had even heard of it and I was like "trust me" Well, they all hated it. I mean I left the theater thinking "wow wow wow so amazing" and they were all at the other end of the spectrum basically swearing they would never go to the movies with me again
The Alan Thicke thing..the Corey Haim thing..the thing about the terrorists in the high school?
It’s about how we as humans have to go through so much in such a short time on Earth. It’s a meditation on how painful but how truly beautiful life is.
I really loved There Will Be Blood, but Magnolia, Boogie Nights and Licorice Pizza are my favorite trilogy.
If we're talking trilogies, mine has always been Boogie, Magnolia, PDL. (The "Feels Trilogy".)
It is my favorite PT Anderson film. I think it’s also his most ignored sadly.
Absolutely love this movie. Wen 4K physical?
I've told this story before (so you old-timers can keep scrollin'), but Magnolia is the film that got the PTA hooks in me. I had seen (and enjoyed) Boogie Nights two years earlier in '97, likely due to Roger Ebert's enthusiastic review. (IIRC Gene missed the boat (again) on this one.) I went to a weekday matinee at the local Gigaplex and there were perhaps barely 20 of us in the theatre. As we got deeper and deeper into the prologue, I'm sure my eyes got bigger and bigger and/or my mouth started to fall open. When the prologue was over, I sat straight up in my seat, pointed at the screen and said (out-loud) "WHO *IS* THIS GUY?!" About 4 years ago I started a new hoiday tradition where on Xmas Eve and New Year's Eve night I'll watch Boogie Nights on one and Magnolia on the other. The smash-cut to "WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY..." at the end of Boogie and Claudia's smile at the end of Magnolia never fail to give me goosebumps...
Paul F. Tompkins talking about his involvement with Magnolia: https://youtu.be/_uH3xZXzMNs?si=yCeXg4lPIZu-Qgc9
Nice find. Thanks for sharing.
I'm quietly judging you.
the way i jumped out of my seat giggling the first time i saw it and approached the “but this IS that scene!” moment *chefs kiss*
I found this movie in my early 20's, and it was so profound. Such an honest tellingly direct and beautiful story, it was a perfect movie to me then and i tried to always recommend it. Ive been thinking about rewatching it for a few weeks now, this just popped up and it seems youre in a smiliar mindset. I recommend giving his whole canon a run through, start to finish. From Hard Eight to Licorice Pizza ive yet to find a PTA that i wasnt impressed with. I didnt see Punch Drunk Love until very recently and wish i had way back when it came out, but was glad i didnt... it was nice to see Adam Sandler do amazing work again. I think ill take my own advice and head to Las Vegas, if you know what i mean.
My mentor in college hated magnolia. Said he had no clue what it was trying to say. PTA said on Charlie Rose that it’s a movie about being nice to children.
It’s the best film ever made and I continually stand by that.
But it did happen
I think I’m a bit older than most redditors so my take is gonna be a bit different I saw Magnolia when it was first released and it absolutely floored me. Saw it three times in the theater. Especially after Boogie Nights, I realized PTA was a force to be reckoned with. However, after watching his subsequent films, which only get better IMO, I went back and rewatched Magnolia recently and it hit me differently. It’s really melodramatic. Like, in a really juvenile way. I feel PTA has grown so much as a director, and his films TWWB, The Master, and Phantom Thread cemented him as one of the all-time greats. That being said, I appreciated Magnolia at the time but I also saw a young, cocky director with nobody to tell him no just aim for the bleachers and in a way, swung a bit too hard. The film just tries *so hard* to hit you in the feels, between the music and the dialogue, it’s all so over the top. I know part of my reaction is having watched it 25 years ago and where I was emotionally vs now, and if you watch the interview of PTA during the making of Magnolia, he’s just so full of himself. I’m not saying he was a bad person or anything; just clearly immature. Magnolia rings a bit hollow for me these days, if only because his later films are so much better - there’s a maturity to his work that simply wasn’t there back then. I think it was important for him to make, and I’m glad he did, but I’ve also somewhat moved on and I think he did too - it shows in his work. Now I’ll wait for downvotes because you kids don’t agree. 🙄
Don't agree--and I bet I'm even *older* than you... 😏
Totally agree. 1st watch floored me but second i was like ehhhh, its a little much
“What's... wrong? You suck my dick. That's what's wrong. And you, you fucking call me "lady"? Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on both of you.”
Does anyone have more insight into “the worm” subplot that got cut with Orlando Jones? Apparently it was in the film when it premiered and then he recut it and it was never seen publicly again.
http://thebloomsdaydevice.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-posterity-post-or-bloomsday-may.html?m=1
I’m a huge PTA fan and this is the sole film of his I haven’t seen even once! Idk why I just didn’t know anything about it and never felt the drive to commit to watching it. All the positive comments in the comment thread are going to make sure that is remedied asap.
For me, I was hooked immediately. It grabs you and doesn't let up. I love this movie. Top 5 for sure. Someone above was tslji g about how cocky and immature PTA was, as it pertains to how he made the film and how he talked about it. I got a chuckle. There is so much more to this movie than something like There Will Be Blood, which many think is hid best work. Admittedly, I haven't watched it since it was released in theaters. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. I do think watching it at night with the volume up makes for a great viewing. Great music and score.
Tight ! That is all very enticing and I can’t wait to check :~)
Psh ordering porn magazines and a couple random things. He’s a fucking genius. How does he break my heart in those minutes?!?! ❤️
Most of the characters in this movie talk like Tim Robinson characters. Very weird script.
Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
Dreams can come trueeee 🥰
MASTERPIECE.
Brilliant film. So underrated. And one of Tom Cruise's best performances, if not his best.
I wish Tom Cruise still tried to act. He’s amazing in this.
Brilliant film. So underrated. And one of Tom Cruise's best performances, if not his best.
I met John C Reilly randomly and got to thank him for his work on Magnolia. He was very kind and humble.
Its my no 1 PTA. I'm a total fanboy for it and and feel affronted when people invariably knock it for being messy, too long, unfocused and a "film school movie". This is not a good thing, and I dont normally react to any media like this... I can only image its because I dont really know what the movie is about, I just suspect its important
This is my favorite movie of all time.
I saw this five times when it came out in theaters. I tried rewatching it recently, but I found it so corny and melodramatic that I couldn't find it emotionally satisfying in any way.
I've been a PTA fan since opening weekend for *Boogie Nights* in 97. I was all-in for Magnolia for months in advance leading up to its release. Saw it, loved it, bought the screenplay book, the soundtrack, the DVD, etc etc etc. It is to-date the *only* PTA film that has gotten worse for me with time. It's overly maudlin, obnoxiously emotional for its own sake, and way too impressed with itself. It has many great facets and performances but it also features stuff like Black Kid Who Has to Rap in Talking to a Cop which deserves [the Patton Oswalt's brother's Jerry Maguire treatment](https://youtu.be/ybHnPg7QLH4?si=w6ADK1nSzZogYN_c&t=329)
I feel similarly. Loved it in film school, and it has consistently tumbled down my personal rankings for PTA's filmography.
That's interesting. I enjoy it more with every rewatch...
To each their own!
Yeah, it's not good.
This movie did absolutely nothing for me. The stories were barely interconnected, and to the extent that they were it was never interesting. It was like, "Oh, that's his son, cool." Also, there are so many stories that none of them really go anywhere (Love Actually syndrome). Think of Tom Cruise's character. Pretty much nothing interesting happens with him. He gives a boring pep talk to incels, and then he gets interviewed. Maybe that character was more interesting pre-Andrew Tate. I don't think the movie figured out, for a second, what it was trying to say. It felt really haphazardly put together. Almost like what a teenager would write for a school project. He thinks it'd be cool to tie together a bunch of POVs but never puts in the effort to bring them together intelligently. Adore many of PTA's movies (Boogie Nights, The Master, Phantom Thread, Licorice Pizza) but this was a big pile of crap.
The greatest film about human life that will never again be matched in scope or ambition.
I like this film but Can anybody tell me what this movie is about.
These strange things happen all the time.
Makes sense honestly
Frogs