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Magnolia Movie Review Summary

Actors: John C. Reilly, Tom Cruise, Melora Walters, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall, Jason Robards, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeremy Blackman

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Magnolia


This 1999 film, skillfully written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, studies nine very different lives across one day in the San Fernando Valley. Earl Partridge (Robards) is dying of brain and lung cancer, and male nurse Phil Parma (Hoffman) is looking after him. Earl produced a TV game show in the late 1960s called "What Do Kids Know?", in which three smart children compete against three adults.
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Earl asks Phil to contact his estranged son, Frank T.J. Mackey (Cruise), an arrogant salesman who leads seminars for single men called "Seduce and Destroy," in which he teaches how to seduce and leave women. Linda (Moore), Earl's trophy wife, is nevertheless starting to feel tender emotions toward him. Stanley Specter (Blackman) is currently a contestant on WDKK and trying to beat the record for most money won, set in 1968 by Donnie Smith (Macy), now a pathetic loser. The host of WDKK is Jimmy Gator (Hall), who is also estranged from his child: Claudia Wilson Gator (Walters), who sniffs crack cocaine all day and accuses her Dad of molesting her. Police officer Jim Kurring (Reilly) investigates a disturbance at Claudia's apartment and falls in love with her. All these lives intertwine around the game show in this amazing and allusive movie.
The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus




There are numerous interwoven plots including the following: Tom Cruise is a popular speaker and proponent of men and their masculinity. Julianne Moore, Tom's brother, babysits their ill and old father. Tom doesn't speak to him any longer. William H. Macy is a former contestant on a game show for smart kids, but he can't get over that, so he is mentally weak and eccentric. John C. Reilly is a simplistic, but good-hearted police officer who falls for a crack addict.
The review of this Movie prepared by Taylor K



Script Analysis of Magnolia

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Plot & Themes

Time/era of movie:    -   1980's-1999 Romance/Love/Hugging    -   Yes Family, caring for sick?    -   Yes Who is sick?    -   Father because he/she is    -   physically ill Lover is...    -   totally uninterested    -   criminal/bad doer

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Profession/status:    -   salesman Age:    -   20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality    -   White American Unusual characteristics:    -   Extremely cynical or arrogant

Setting

United States    -   Yes The US:    -   California City?    -   Yes City:    -   Los Angeles    -   wealthy Misc setting    -   theater    -   bar

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   moderately detailed references to deaths Sex/nudity in movie?    -   Yes What kind of sex:    -   actual description of sex    -   seeing breasts Any profanity?    -   A lot of foul language

Movies with storylines, themes & endings like Magnolia

Magnolia Message Board (click here)
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