Magnolia

A long film, which relies on excellent acting performances, almost without exception. Nevertheless, I couldn't get into the film and don't see anything that would be so great about it. Maybe someday, on a second try, but I doubt it. Paul Thomas Anderson is not one of the directors I seek out. However, his talent cannot be denied. (02/04/2016)

If I were to review Magnolia objectively, I wouldn't be able to give it any lower rating than the highest one. Fortunately, I can evaluate it purely based on my own opinion, and despite Anderson's flawless direction, I couldn't help but feel that three hours is too long and somewhat unnecessary. Of course, all the storylines are interconnected, and individual characters couldn't be removed, but the whole competition, the host, and the genius young man around it all felt terribly boring to me, and I was looking forward to when the story would switch to someone else, which unfortunately applies to former contestant Macy as well. On the other hand, Cruise, Hoffman, and Reilly are amazing, and whenever any of them had the opportunity to showcase their acting skills, I was consistently moved. (16/09/2006)

Coincidences really do happen every day, and their beauty or evil lies not in how they happen, but how they affect future events. This is exactly what Magnolia achieves, an overwhelming victory of content over form, supported by absolutely brilliant direction and gorgeous performances. For example, what Tom Cruise does here definitely moves him for me from the box of unlikeable stars to the absolute acting elite. Anderson is a filmmaker who has all my sympathies and this magnificent film, despite its length, presents an overwhelming mosaic of human nature, love and hate that completely engulfed me from the first frames and held me tightly until the closing credits. The plot flows incredibly smoothly and you don't even feel like you’re sitting at home in front of the screen, but rather like you’re walking along with all the characters right in the centre of the action. And the moment frogs started falling from the sky, I realized that I was watching one of the most brilliant and thought-provoking films in the history of cinema, which, on the contrary, don't fall from the sky very often. I wish I could make a film like this some day. 100% (01/02/2013)

First and foremost, this film is not as complicated and difficult as it may seem at first glance. But it does have something to it and definitely does not lack originality, inventiveness, many unforgettable scenes and situations, and, last but not least, great performances by almost all of the main actors. (15/02/2005)

Nine instruments that each initially play their own melodies. Nine rays that come down... And a camera that seems to wander aimlessly through the stories of different people, listening and watching here and there... And then suddenly the splinters of melodies and lights begin to resonate, destinies come together, intertwine, stories begin to take shape. Guilt, punishment, forgiveness on the threshold of death. It's amazing how sensitively Anderson managed to capture the nine great catharses of his life, how he managed to escalate Magnolia from the vulgar and fleeting cacophony of the introduction until the twist, when all the characters are connected by singing the song Wise Up. Three hours of an extraordinarily personal and strange story, which already demonstrates its principle in the prologue – some things are simply not a coincidence. Magnolia's meaning is not only in passive viewing - the viewer is encouraged to look for a purpose that is well hidden (see, for example, the rain of frogs). The amazing acting performances work as a magnet, the highlight of which for me is the incomprehensibly strong Cruise in the role of Jack, aka Frank. I never thought he could act so emotionally. In addition, the Czech dubbing was excellent... The only blotch on the beauty of the film remains the fact that it is sometimes too stretched and marked by dead spots. Yet in the midst of a torrent of unreal, it's like that rain of frogs. It just happens! (13/02/2004)