Magnolia

Magnolia tells the intricate story of one day in California from the perspective of nine different people, who are all connected by a game show called "What Do Kids Know" (WDKK). Where a team of three kids answer general knowledge questions against a team of three adults, and if the kids win they come back next edition.

Earl Partrdige (Robards) used to produce the show but is now dying of lung cancer. His wife Linda (Moore) married him for his money but is now beginning to fall in love with him for real. Earl is starting to regret certain aspects of his life, and asks his male nurse Philip Parma to contact his son Frank T.J. Mackey (Cruise), a motivational speaker who grew up hating his father.

The host of WDKK, Jimmy Gator, who is also dying, has a very weak relationship with his only child, Claudia Gator. She lives alone taking drugs, but when she opens her door to Jim, a police officer called to investigate a disturbance, he falls in love with her. Meanwhile the highest ever scoring contestant of WDKK , Donnie Smith, has recently been fired and is struggling through life as a pathetic loser. Stanley Spectar is a current WDKK contestant, and a genius being used by his father just to make money.

From that plot description you can probably see why this is film is 3 hours long, there is a lot of story, but it is all gracefully told. The acting is superb, with even the likes of Tom Cruise putting on a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination. Both the acting and soundtrack fill this film with emotion, which is vital as it's a film about the human condition; love, pain and regret, so expect swearing.

Magnolia is a complex, emotional and elegant film with a great atmosphere and a certain quality to it that makes it unique. But if none of that appeals then you should still see it, simply for the fact that it is one of the only films to show raining frogs.

Nick Grills