Our pain always seems deeper and more vivid to us than the despair of others; it is hard to concretely appreciate the angst others experience around us. Every day, our lives intersect with hundreds of other lives. Can it be possible that these souls could relate to us in a more profound manner than we could ever imagine? Are there lives more parallel to our own? In his follow up to Boogie Nights, writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson examines the commonalities of the human experience, focusing on those breaking points that make men and women feel alone, vulnerable, and scared. The most underappreciated film of 1999, Magnolia showcases my favorite up-and-coming young director.

A dying television producer longing to say goodbye to his estranged son. A former 1960's game show "whiz kid" desperately trying to define his life as an adult. A police officer who falls in love with a cocaine addict. 12 major characters whose lives will all intersect in the San Fernando region of Los Angeles. Though there may seem to be several films occurring simultaneously, a single direction and flow emerges throughout the 3 hours of running time. Anderson presents a day in the lives of each individual: disorder, anger, and illness grows until each character reaches a certain catharsis followed by resignation and somewhat of a resolution.

Lets begin with the performance and the character that should have won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Tom Cruise: Frank T.J. Mackey. Traveling the country (and late-night infomercials) with his "Seduce and Destroy" seminars, Frank teaches men how to live up to their piggish potentials. He exudes an unapologetically manipulative approach to women. However, his tough and shallow facade is quickly removed as a journalist questions him about his family. When the journalist reveals that she knows Mackey's mother died of cancer while Mackey's father abandoned the two of them, Mackey is silenced and tears form in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Mackey's father, Earl (Jason Robards) is reaching the end stages of his own fight with brain and lung cancer. Dying at home with a male attendant (Philip Seymour Hoffman)at his side, he urges his attendant, Phil, to locate his son to tell him goodbye before his passing. Himself lonely, Phil realizes he is losing a true friend, and desperately tries to locate and connect with Frank Mackey.

Earl's much-younger wife, Linda (Julianne Moore)spends the day consulting physicians about her husband's condition as well as her own. A physician writes a prescription for a relieving yet quickly mortal dose of morphine. She reveals that although she originally played him for his estate and cheated around on him, she has come to deeply love him and is in despair over his imminent death.

Earl's production company runs a television show titles "What do Kids Know?" A team of adults challenges a team of children to a trivia contest, with the winning team receiving not only money, but the opportunity to return for next week's episode. The leader of this team is the young Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman): shy but brilliant, he has entertained adults for weeks with his encyclopedia-like memory. Today, he informs the adults around the studio that he has to go to the bathroom, but amidst adult buzz and the pressure of his actor-wannabe father, goes ignored. He sits through most of the show, singing arias and recounting historical facts, needing to relieve himself.

Meanwhile, the host of the show, Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall) is struggling just to stay on his feet. Himself dying of cancer, he repeats and forgets lines, ultimately collapsing on-stage. Across town, Jimmy's daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) is indulging in a cocaine habit yet allowing herself to go on a date with a police officer (John C Reilly). Officer Jim Kurring, who had come to Claudia's home after a disturbance of the peace call, finds himself strangely attracted to the shimmer of goodness he sees in Claudia.

Former 1960's Quiz Kid Donnie Smith (William H. Macy) loses his job at an electronics shop just as he is trying to finance braces. Why would a man who clearly doesn't need braces want to invest in orthodontics? To impress a young, metal-mouthed bartender named Brad. Though Donnie frequents Brad's bar, Brad hardly notices Donnie.

Each character enters a critical crisis during these 24 hours: Officer Jim loses his gun while chasing a suspect, Frank stumbles through his seminar after hearing that his father is dying, Stanley wets his pants. Further, each character reaches a breaking point simultaneously when their past fears, inhibitions, and egos are put aside. At their lowest and most stripped-sown moments, each character sings a few lines of Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" (It's not going to stop, so just give up). A bizarre meteorological event preceeds personal resolutions to personal pain.

So what is the point of this film? Anderson tries to connect all human being by examining their pain, grieving, and recovery. Though the characters cannot see the troubles burdening other characters, even those that are so physically close to them, he allows the audience to see the parallel processes each one in undergoing. He brilliantly captures the events and moods that strip men down to their most defining basic qualities: the need to exist, the need to be loved, the need to be seen. Anderson never forces interactions into Hollywood-esque conversation: dialogue flows awkardly and with tension, as in real life. Each character has depth that unfolds throughout these 3 hours in a slow but rewarding process rarely appreciated by audiences. You truly feel as though you know and relate to each man or woman, and you "pull" for them by the end. Strangely enough, you end up pulling for yourself as well.


This epinion has been submitted as part of the future of Hollywood Write-Off (hosted by JuiceJW), featuring favorite young directors. Other participants:

Kenshin-Guy
Grouch
Benho
eplovejoy
The_WOod
JonTurner
alex_isit
Pffrdfdus7
mangiotto
Matt_Harney
Stargull
Sloucho
DrJ008
SHadow8
MrsNormanMaine


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age