Copyright 1999 Reed Elsevier Inc.
Daily Variety
December 10, 1999
SECTION: REVIEW
LENGTH: 1381 words
HEADLINE: Magnolia
BYLINE: EMANUEL LEVY
BODY:
(Drama)
A New Line release of a Joanne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film production. Produced
by Joanne Sellar. Executive producers, Michael De Luca, Lynn Harris. Co-producer,
Daniel Lupi.
Directed, written by Paul Thomas Anderson. Camera (Deluxe color, Panavision
widescreen), Robert Elswit; editor, Dylan Tichenor; music,
John Brion; songs, Aimee Mann; production designers, William
Arnold, Mark Bridges; art director, David Nakabayashi; set decorator, Chris
Spellman; costume designer, Mark Bridges; sound (Dolby/SDDS), John Pritchett;
special effects supervisor, Lou Carlucci; visual effects supervisor, Joe
Letteri; visual effects producer, Joseph Grossberg; associate producer,
Tichenor; assistant director, Adam Druxman; casting, Cassandra Kulukundis.
Reviewed at Todd-AO screening room, Santa Monica, Nov. 30, 1999. MPAA Rating:
R. Running time: 188 MIN.
Earl Partridge ..... Jason Robards
Linda Partridge ..... Julianne Moore
Frank Mackey ..... Tom Cruise
Phil Parma ..... Philip Seymour Hoffman
Officer Jim Kurring ..... John C. Reilly
Claudia Gator ..... Melora Walters
Stanley Spector ..... Jeremy Blackman
Rick Spector ..... Michael Bowen
Donnie Smith ..... William H. Macy
Jimmy Gator ..... Philip Baker Hall
Rose Gator ..... Melinda Dillon
Dixon ..... Emmanuel Johnson
In its ambitious scope and grand operatic style, "Magnolia," Paul
Thomas Anderson's eagerly awaited followup to "Boogie Nights,"
confirms his status as one of the most audacious filmmakers in Hollywood
today. This imposing tapestry about the mysterious workings of fate and
coincidence and the need for interconnection and love interweaves the stories
of a dozen characters as they embark on a moral odyssey during one intense
day in their tumultuous lives. A superlative ensemble headed by Tom Cruise
(in his best dramatic turn to date), Jason Robards, Melora Walters and Julianne
Moore gives this meditation on urban alienation the aura of a major work
highly in tune with the zeitgeist. But a running time of more than three
hours, the largely downbeat tone and other demands on viewers will curtail
pic's commercial appeal, resulting in moderate B.O.
Self-discipline, not talent, is the major issue in Anderson's career. In
his new movie, as in the previous ones, he proves to be an astute writer
making sharp observations about the human condition, a flamboyant, high-voltage
visual stylist and a terrific actors' director --- here he coaxes splendid
performances from a cast that consists of about 30 speaking parts. What
Anderson lacks, however, is restraint in telling his complex postmodern
tale. "Magnolia" suffers not only from an exorbitant running time
but from the excessive, abrasive visual approach and musical mode, including
several repetitive montages, in which the fractured tale unfolds.
Despite rave reviews, "Boogie Nights" didn't play well in the
'plexes due to its subject matter, the porn industry. But those who saw
it were surprised by the sweet nature of the saga, which succeeded in making
its offbeat characters accessible and likable. The problems with "Magnolia,"
arguably a more ambitious and mature work, are not so much thematic as structural
and stylistic.
A brief prologue, which sets the film's disturbing tone, presents three
acts of violence, jumping among a 1911 prison yard, a 1958 tenement and
the early 1980s. Accompanied by voiceover narration, this unconventional
overture signals pic's dominant motifs: the role of chance in life and the
notion that "strange things happen all the time."
At the center of the elaborate maze, set in the San Fernando Valley area
of L.A., is patriarch Earl Partridge (Robards), a dying man who's forced
to come to terms with his failures --- specifically, cheating on his loyal
first wife and irresponsibly walking out on her, leaving their only son,
Frank Mackey (Cruise), to care for his mother when she's sick with cancer.
Earl is now married to the much younger Linda (Moore), who tends to be hysterical
and can't deal with his impending death. The burdensome routines of his
care are carried out by Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a devoted nurse who's
unable to separate his professional duties from his emotional involvement
with Earl.
Refusing to see Earl, or even acknowledge his existence, Frank is a seductive
guru who runs popular, high-priced seminars that teach angry, frustrated
men how to get their way with women. Frank markets his philosophy --- "Respect
the Cock" --- in brilliantly staged sequences that are more unsettling
than the similarly themed scenes in "The Fight Club." As with
all the characters, a chain of weird circumstances forces Frank to come
to terms with his family and past.
The most emotionally engaging --- and splendidly acted --- story centers
on the travails of a compassionate, religious cop, Jim Kurring (John C.
Reilly), who's prone to babbling about the importance of "doing good
and helping others." During one of his routine calls, Jim drops in
on Claudia (Melora Walters), a high-strung woman who's addicted to drugs
and loud music. Their interaction begins with yelling and screaming, with
Claudia insisting that she wants to be left alone, but eventually she consents
to go out on a date with Jim, and a tentative courtship follows.
The weakest section (which could be cut by half) is a TV quiz game, hosted
by veteran Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall), who is Claudia's father. This
yarn brings to the surface the conflict between Rick Spector (Michael Bowen),
a father living off the brilliance of his genius son, Stanley (Jeremy Blackman).
Anderson introduces his dramatis personae in a bold, original manner, constructing
for each character a parallel or an opposite. Stanley is juxtaposed with
Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), a '60s quiz show star who's now reduced
to a routine job at an electronics store, hoping that some pricey dental
work will provide his salvation and bring much needed love to his dull existence.
The narrative is divided into three parts, designated by titles that describe
the weather ("light showers, high humidity"). The organizing principle
of the sprawling material is that of the duo, with each interaction marked
by the changing balance of power and control. This is particularly evident
in the relationships between professionals and their patients or clients;
Linda attacks her pharmacist, TV game players disobey their host and his
rules, various residents scream at the well-meaning cop.
If "Boogie Nights" was unmistakably influenced by Scorsese's style,
"Magnolia," which is named after a boulevard near which most of
the action unfolds, invites comparison to Altman's "Short Cuts"
and to John Sayles' political drama "City of Hope," two mosaics
of American life woven through a series of darkly comic vignettes. All three
films present a poignant portrait of human and urban malaise, underlined
by hidden elements of a crisis that threatens to erupt. Similar to Altman,
who employed the device of an earthquake to unify his self-absorbed characters,
Anderson uses a ferocious and surreal rain of frogs to bring his lonely
characters together.
But "Magnolia" avoids the bitter and cynical tone of "Short
Cuts," ending with a series of emotionally satisfying reconciliations.
And it lacks "City of Hope's" schematic melodrama; Anderson views
all his characters with empathy. With a style that's full of quirks and
surprises, he turns a perceptive gaze on such traditional American traits
as unbridled materialism and uncontrollable dependency on the mass media,
as well as such values as monogamous marriage and familial love.
Ace lenser Robert Elswit works wonders with his dynamic, mobile camera.
In a bravura sequence that borrows from opera and musical theater, all the
characters burst out singing, with the camera conveying their disparate
locations and moods. The interdependent plot lines are set to the songs
of Aimee Mann, whose music becomes part of the film's warp
and weft. Her title song, "Save Me," fits the film's melancholy
mood like a silk glove.
Peppered with beguiling appearances (with luminous turns by Cruise, Walters,
Hall and Reilly) and piercing commentary on both estrangement and renewal,
"Magnolia" is a remarkably inventive and audacious film that almost
overcomes its flaws.
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