P.T. Anderson again? Just had some nice exchanges with H. Tree and Johann about him in the 1997 thread. Actually, posts dealt primarily with Boogie Nights and Hard Eight, which I like but not as much as Magnolia. It's first runner-up which means it could have easily squeezed into the main list. Magnolia is bold, sprawling, and ambitious. And a lot of it works. It has a lot to say, about the ties between fathers and sons, about what can happen to the best laid plans, etc. The performances are something to savor, some very intense but wholly believable. Mr. Cruise's character even works as a critique of aspects of his public persona. But you probably want to know why I don't rate it even higher. Well, I dislike the excessive and somewhat crude cross-cutting between subplots. I wish a number of scenes were allowed to unfold longer rather than get chopped up into shorter segments. You might call it the "MTV" or "music video" effect. It's a sign of the times. Or maybe Mr. Anderson was anxious about (young?) audiences staying alert and engaged for the 3-hour+ duration. I think it detracts from certain scenes achieving maximum dramatic impact. Moreover, I'm not convinced the apocalyptic ending is fully justified.

Aside: I remember reading that that scene in which a guy jumps off the roof to a net that would save him, only to be fatally struck by a bullet as he passed by his apartment's window is based on an actual event. Apparently the guy's mother meant to shoot his father but missed. I don't have confirmation that this actually happened though.