Magnolia

I'd had this movie sitting around for nearly a week, thanks to NaNo. I finally decided to watch it last night. To put it bluntly: This is a truly great movie. There are flaws, of course, (and that's why it doesn't get an A+) but nonetheless, this film is simply amazing. Its cast is massive, as it follows the intersecting stories of a large group (nine, I think). As a result, it is necessarily long, clocking in at three hours. However, it definitely doesn't feel that long. The cast is amazing. Tom Cruise gives the centerpiece performance and will manage to make you forget about all of these couch-jumping, "You don't know psychology - I do!" antics that you see in the news. Frankly, and though I feel a little odd saying this of Cruise, it's a shame he wasn't given an Oscar for this performance (he was nominated, but lost out to Michal Caine for The Cider House Rules). In fact, this film was a glaring omission from 2000's best picture nominees. Other performances are very good as well, especially those of Reilly and Hoffman (two of the most overlooked actors in Hollywood) and kid actor Jeremy Blackman. The dialogue is excellent and the script, while it meanders a little and definitely crosses over into the surreal, is fantastic. Highly recommended. My grade: A

Avg. Critic's Score: 7.6 (via Rotten Tomatoes)
Avg. Viewer's Score: 8.0 (via Imdb)

Synopsis: On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story. Through a collusion of coincidence, chance, human action, shared media, past history and divine intervention they will weave and warp through each other's lives on a day that builds to an unforgettable climax. Some will seek forgiveness, others escape. Some will mend frayed bonds, others will be exposed. (via Yahoo)

Director and Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights)
Stars: Tom Cruise (Minority Report), Julianne Moore (Hannibal), William H. Macy (Fargo), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Almost Famous), Melora Walters (Boogie Nights), Philip Baker Hall (The Insider), Jeremy Blackman, Melinda Dillon (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Jason Robards (Once Upon A Time in the West), John C. Reilly (Gangs of New York)

Useless Trivia: The telephone number (877) TAME-HER is shown on the "Seduce and Destroy" infomercials within the movie. Dialing this number used to give a recording of Tom Cruise giving the Seduce and Destroy pitch.