Cheap Magnolia (New Line Platinum Series) (DVD) (Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Baker Hall, Jeremy Blackman) (Paul Thomas Anderson) Price

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Customer Reviews of Magnolia (New Line Platinum Series)

A film about hope, redemption, love, loss, and frogs
This is a wonderful film in the spirit of Robert Altman's Nashville and Short Cuts. This is Writer/Director PT Anderson's third film and the best yet. (He also wrote/directed Hard Eight (Sydney), and Boogie Nights). This movie centers around coincidence, redemption, and how "you can be through with the past, but the past is not through with you". It takes place in the San Fernando Valley and spans 24 hours in the lives of many people. Some of whom are paralleling each other. Like Quiz Kid Donny Smith who is a parallel to a young child who is now on quiz shows. Tom Cruise gives an exceptional performance as Trevor Mackey, a sex tape guru who was abondened by his father when his mother was dying of cancer. His father is now the one dying of this disease (The late great Jason Robards). He is married to Julianne Moore who married him for the money and now feels guilty about finally falling in love with the old man, just as he's dying. The nurse taking care of him Phil Parma is played by Phillip Seymour-Hoffman in another wonderful performance. The host of the quiz show Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker-Hall) is also dying of cancer. And did something to his daughter Claudia that has led her to a life of cocaine abuse and random sex. All of these characters undergo major changes over this period of time as we are led from a deathbed scene, to an interview gone bad, to a murder, through the lives of these pathetic but likeable characters. PT Anderson is the master of swirling camera's and has a visual style all his own. This film was the best film of 1999 and is my personal favorite film ever. It did not make the kind of money it should have but has been discovered on video obviously as it ranks #77 all time currently on the imdb top 250 list. The surprise ending seems insaine at first but makes complete sense when you think about it. Most people might not get the film because it is so original, a matter of fact after 2 of it's three hours were done in the movie theater some people were already walking out. But i say go see it, "thingIt's the [best] you ever saw".

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the most beautifully brilliant movie I have ever seen
Magnolia is a wonderfully crafted and executed account of 9 people whose stories and troubles are all strangely connected with eachother's. Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride of love, hate, regret, and anger. Featuring brilliant Oscar-worthy performances from the entire cast (especially Tom Cruise, Melora Walters, John C. Reilly, and Phillip Seymour Hoffan) and crew (especially P. T. Anderson), this is probably the most underated movie of all time. Deeply moving, and highly entertaining, this film is nothing short of genius. If you love movies with excellent ensemble casts, magnificant writing and directing, an incredible ammount of emotion, and don't mind sitting for 3 hours, this picture will blow you away.

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Just for the record. . .
It really does rain frogs, though it is a rare occurance. I always get a bit peeved when people complain about that aspect of this wonderful film.

Do a little research. It shouldn't take you long to find a dozen or so newspaper articles documenting frog storms.

". . .but it did happen."