Magnolia

Theatrical Release Date: 1999 12 17 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 794043131929

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Profanity, Substance Abuse, Sexual Situations]

Summary: Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson followed his critical and commercial breakthrough Boogie Nights with this wildly ambitious story of lives intertwining on a single day in California's San Fernando Valley. Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), a successful producer of television game shows, left his wife when she contracted cancer to marry the younger and more beautiful Linda (Julianne Moore). Now, Earl has cancer himself, and Linda spends her day fetching medicines and trying to deal with the imminent death of her husband, whom she has only now come to love. Earl asks his nurse Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to arrange a meeting with his estranged son, Frank Mackey (Tom Cruise), known for his self-help program "Seduce and Destroy," in which he preaches the importance of male sexual prowess; he cared for his mother after Earl left her, and he has no desire to see his father again. Earl's best-known show is hosted by Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall), who also learns that he is dying. Jimmy's show pits bright adults against unusually smart kids; one of Jimmy's child contestants, Stanley (Jeremy Blackman), arrives late for a taping after being left stranded by his father Rick (Michael Bowen), who is supported by his more successful son. Meanwhile, Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), who was a champ on Jimmy's show as a child, is not having as much luck as an adult; he's just lost his job and needs to pay for some expensive dental work. Jimmy wants to reconcile with his estranged and emotionally fragile daughter Claudia (Melora Walters), who despises him and who will become involved with well-meaning police officer Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly), who has been desperately lonely since his divorce three years ago. Magnolia reunites much of the cast and crew of Boogie Nights and features eight original songs by singer/songwriter Aimee Mann and a musical score by Jon Brion. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – null Best Original Song – null Best Supporting Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role – Screen Actors Guild Best Performance by a Cast – Screen Actors Guild Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Golden Bear – Berlin International Film Festival Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress – National Board of Review Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Ensemble Acting – National Board of Review Best Picture – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Director – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Screenplay – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor (Runner-up) – National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress (Runner-up) – National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor – National Board of Review Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Song – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Magnolia video diary covers the blossoming of a modern-day masterwork
Frank T. J. Mackey seminar
Seduce and Destroy infomercial
Aimee Mann Save Me music video
Theatrical trailer & TV spots

Magnolia

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 01/19/2010

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DTHD null, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 188 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish

Subtitles: Spanish

Lucia Bozzola

Even more audacious than his 1997 breakthrough Boogie Nights, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia explores nothing less than the uncertainties of life and the vicissitudes of love. Reuniting most of the cast members from Boogie Nights, with the notable additions of Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, and Melinda Dillon, Anderson pays homage to Robert Altman's multicharacter mosaics, delving into the minutiae of fate, coincidence, and the human condition through the chance intersections of ten major characters in one Southern California day. Along with his assured wide-screen compositions and camera movements, Anderson further reveals the cosmic connections between these damaged lives with a boldly poignant Aimee Mann "sing-along" and an appropriately Biblical finale. Though some critics sniffed that it was self-important pap, most were impressed enough by Anderson's intimately epic reach to forgive Magnolia's few flaws, while Cruise's flamboyant turn as sexual guru Frank T. J. Mackey earned the star a Golden Globe award and Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Though Cruise's presence was not enough to turn the three hour character study into a blockbuster hit, Magnolia confirmed that Boogie Nights was no artistic fluke, with Anderson once again garnering an Oscar nomination for his intricate screenplay. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Henry Gibson  Actor 
Pat Healy  Actor 
Patton Oswalt  Actor 
Luis Guzman  Actor 
Ricky Jay  Actor 
April Grace  Actor 
Felicity Huffman  Actor 
Alfred Molina  Actor 
Mary Lynn Rajskub  Actor 
Lillian Adams  Actor 
Michael De Luca  Executive Producer 
Joanne Sellar  Producer 
Paul Thomas Anderson  Director 
Paul Thomas Anderson  Producer 
Paul Thomas Anderson  Screenwriter 
Jon Brion  Composer (Music Score) 
Lynn Harris  Executive Producer 
Jason Robards, Jr.  Actor 
Julianne Moore  Actor 
Tom Cruise  Actor 
Philip Seymour Hoffman  Actor 
John C. Reilly  Actor 
Melora Walters  Actor 
Jeremy Blackman  Actor 
Michael Bowen  Actor 
William H. Macy  Actor 
Philip Baker Hall  Actor 
Melinda Dillon  Actor 
Emmanuel Johnson  Actor 

Country: USA