3. Magnolia (1999)
Magnolia, like Boogie Nights, features an ensemble cast of an assortment of widely different characters. The main difference being, Magnolia is a film set up with intersecting storylines that ultimately reach their climax in a stunning piece of cinema that involves frogs falling from the sky - one of the many biblical references in the film. Paul Thomas Anderson's film is a tale of loss, bitterness, acceptance, misogyny, self-destruction and parental relationships and they collide together in an entertaining firestorm of brilliant writing and directing. The film is three hours long, but it is not a slog: it couldn't be more entertaining and the minutes fly by as you get absorbed into Anderson's Los Angeles epic. We're enchanted by a cast of characters including a misogynist motivational speaker (Tom Cruise), his father (Jason Robards) and his wife (Julianne Moore) a quiz show host (Philip Baker Hall), his drug addicted daughter (Melora Waters), a bumbling policeman (John C Reilly), a former child star (William H Macy) and a current child star (Jeremy Blackman). Child abandonment and the mistakes of parents are central to the development of Magnolia, there is fiery loathing between children and parents in the movie. The blind rage and breakdown from Tom Cruise on his fathers deathbed in startling. Magnolia is an enigmatic movie that makes you think without being preachy and self-important. It is elegantly told and despite the hostility and melancholy that sweep over the movie, it is funny and touching. Paul Thomas Anderson directs a film to perfection with a sharp eye for detail and precision. It is not a frame too long, always engaging and it improves on repeated viewings.