I have love. I just don't know where to put it.
What can we forgive?
It's been a couple weeks since my last review in the series titled, The 15 Best Movies Ever, but I now know why it has taken me so long.
Initially not on my top 15 list, but a runner-up, I have been wanting to watch
Magnolia for several weeks. Tonight I finally got the opportunity to do so. It is three hours in length, so you really need to block out a chunk of time to take it all in. I am glad I did and am pleased to say that Magnolia is #11 on my list. (This messes a few things up because it means one of my other flicks is going to get booted... I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.)
Magnolia is one of those movies that people either love or hate. On my first viewing, I wasn't sure what to expect, other than another movie with Tom Cruise. As it turns out, Magnolia has a terrific ensemble cast featuring the late Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Phillip Baker Hall, Melora Walters, John C. Reilly (recently as Amos in the musical, Chicago) and Philip Seymour Hoffman, along with a host of supporting characters.
The story is actually many stories all woven together over the course of one day, with chance and destiny playing a role in the destruction or redemption of each character. It's kind of a six-degrees of separation screenplay, where the characters are tied together in one shape or form.
With the exception of two characters in Magnolia, Phil Parma, the male nurse to Earl Partridge, and Jim Kurring, the police officer, the people in Magnolia are NOT an attractive lot. From Frank T.J. Mackey's disgusting Anthony Robbins-like seminars with a male chauvenist twist to Claudia Wilson Gator's horrible past with an incestuous father (the popular game show host, Jimmy Gator) and her battle with cocaine to Quiz Kid Donnie Smith, the child progeny whose parents spent all his winnings leaving him with nothing but a broken childhood, these are not people that we are comfortable with. But it is this very discomfort that allows us to identify with them as real people with real problems and in very real need of redemption.
And that is my favorite part of Magnolia. As painful as it can be to watch, it is a story of redemption, not to mention a small plague of Biblical proportions. Ah, but why give away the ending?
Even though Magnolia is three hours in length, I never found myself bored. In fact, I was so engrossed in the layered storyline and compelling characters that I found it hard to believe 180 minutes had passed.
The musical score is a key part of the film, with Aimee Mann's Wise Up and Save Me playing an integral role is unveiling the story. Especially unique, is Director Paul Thomas Anderson's skillful use of the former number being sung by various characters in their settings as the movie reaches its climax.
Sin. Judgment. Destruction. Hate. Forgiveness. Mercy. Grace. Love.
Like the fragrant flower of its namesake, Magnolia is a beautifully human story that slowly unfolds over time. Even though the story does not end happily for all, with the exception of one character, there is still a second chance for redemption in each life. Besides, tomorrow is another day and the weather forecast is only showing a .00000001% chance of locusts.
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
