Magnolia

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Amberly, Jordan

Long movie, so much going on. Everybody is so upset. It's operatic.

Massively awesome cast doing great stuff. P.T. Anderson just lets loose on the screen and throws in everything and the kitchen sink. It's too much for some people but it works for me. A lot of that has to do with a few characters that I just find hilarious, mainly John C. Reilly as the cop.

Jon Brians music is beautiful and of course the film is peppered with Aimee Mann's songs many of which served as inspiration in the writing. The film keeps its rhythm well, juggling so many plot lines and characters. There are times the camera moves so fast between different scenes and set ups it's hard to keep up. Might also explain away a few focus issues, it can't be easy following that.

This film has a lot of not-so-hidden messages and clues as to subtext and theme, the majority of which revolve around exodus 8:2 which goes a long way to explain and justify the otherwise out-of-the-blue deus ex machina (quite literally) that the end of the film is famous for. Coincidence and chance, fathers and sons, sin and forgiveness, there's a lot to take in if you look for it, or if not you can just admire the grandiose performances. Pure cinema.