Ranking The Films Of Paul Thomas Anderson From Worst To Best

What he described at the time as "the best film I'll ever make, for better or worse", Magnolia is PTA's most ambitious outing in his filmography. Following several different characters with interweaving storylines over the course of a single day proves incredibly compelling.

The film boasts an incredible cast such as Jason Robards' final cinematic appearance as a man dying from cancer, John C. Reilly's isolated police officer, Julianne Moore's drug addicted spouse and an Oscar nominated Tom Cruise as a misogynistic sex guru who teaches men how to 'tame' women.

The overlapping tapestry of characters reflect loneliness, regret, melancholy and desire in an incredible mosaic that actually manages to be more profound than pretentious. You end up caring about each character despite not spending too much time with any of them and the way everything is linked is more subtly smart than outright showing off.

The main thing holding Magnolia back is its unrelenting three hour running time which you can start to feel around the fourth or fifth montage sequence. Regardless, when the wholly unexpected climax hits and PTA asks you again whether everything you've seen has all just been one massive coincidence, at the very least you'll be in awe of the intricate creativity on display.