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Warning - this movie is three and a half hours long. This movie has very few in-between reviews. Walking out of the theater the only opinions I heard were "Oh my God, that was great!" or "That sucked so much". Personally I subscribe to the first school of though-- Magnolia rocks. It's a twisted, warped look at the lives of eleven principle characters. How much can happen within the course of one twenty-four hour period? The answer is a lot. You have two major plot lines that are sort of parallel and you have about two or three subplots stemming off of each them. People were whining upon coming out of the movie that the entire was not movie connected; personally I think it would have taken away from the surreal quality of Magnolia if all of the plots and characters connected. There is however underlying themes in Magnolia. Those themes being the search for love and forgiveness and both themes are presented wonderfully without being so saccharine that you would need an insulin shot.
The enigmatic plots run something like this Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) is a old dying man, who abandoned his first wife and children when his wife got cancer; leaving his then fourteen-year-old son to take care of her. Now he wants to make amends to his son. Later on in life after his first wife was dead and his son wouldn't speak to him her remarried. Linda Partridge (Julianne Moore) is at least half Earl's age and married him purely for his money. Linda is to put in lightly psychologically unstable. Now, that Earl is dying she has come to the realization that she really did love him. Earl's son changed his name no wanting be associated with his father. Frank Mackey (Tom Cruise) has become a seduction expert and with his charismatic stage presence to sale his machismo driven books. The second major plot line follows game show host Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall) who has become a pop icon symbolizing family values. Gator is completely the opposite of his icon status. Gator is now dying of cancer and wants to make his confessions to his wife Rose Gator (Melinda Dillon). His daughter, who he dearly wants forgiveness from, harbors some hidden resentment for father, which you don't discover the true reason for her bitterness until the last hour of the movie. Claudia Wilson Gator (Melora Walters), the game show host's daughter, has some real problems of her own-she's addicted to cocaine and media. One day while on patrol Officer Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly), a compassionate, clumsy LADP officer ends up at Claudia's house and ends up asking her out. A third plot line involves one the contestants on the game show. A brilliant little boy named Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman). Stanley's father, Rick Spector (Michael Bowen), is a wannabe actor. Stanley is supporting the family with his prize winning, but what Stanley desperately wants is his father's love and respect.
Nine out of 10.
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