Its really different!!!!. Review on Magnolia Movie

Saw this movie last night and have been struggling to come to a conclusion regarding its main theme. On one hand it relentlessly pushes the message that life is nothing if not a series of coincidences, but on the other hand it also holds out a message of hope.

Running for a length of 3 hours plus, it is like a relentless assault on our senses. It tells us the story of 9 conflicted individuals who have no relation with each other. It is only towards the end that some characters interact and their stories interleave.

So here goes:

At the centre is Earl Partridge (Jason Robards). A lifetime of callousness and selfishness later, he is on his death bed bedridden with cancer. Heavily dependent on morphine to keep away the pain, he is now suffering for all the pain that he has caused. Especially to his wife Lily, whom he constantly remembers and whom he abandoned when she was suffering from cancer leaving her to the the care of thier 14 year old son.

Linda Partridge (Julianne Moore) is his trophy wife / gold digger. After cheating on her old husband during their entire marriage, she has now come to really love him as he lies on his deathbed. The combination of guilt and self-loathing has made her an emotional wreck prone to flaring up at the slightest provocation. She goes from doctor (for something to make it easier for Earl) to lawyer (so that she can get the will that she manipulated in her favour, reversed) venting her anger on anyone and everyone.

Frank 'T J' Mackey (Tom Cruise) is Earls estranged son. Having grown up watching his mother waste away and die and his father abandon her at that point, he is filled with a deep hatred for his father and perhaps everybody else as well. He is now the founder / proponent of the ''seduce and destroy'' course which teaches men how to tame women sexually and then enslave them. His misogynistic rantings have to be heard to be believed and TC carries them off perfectly.

Dean Gator (Philip Baker Hall) is the beloved host / driving force behind the longest running quiz show on Earl's television production. He is also on his way to death as he is also afflicted with cancer. His has his share of skeletons in his cupboard, the biggest one being that he sexually abused his own daughter for several years as she grew up. And now as he stares death in its face, its time for some unpleasant truths to come out.

Claudia Gator (Melora Walters) is Dean's daughter. Years of sexual abuse have rendered her a cokehead and now she has to sniff drugs to attain even a modicum of equilibrium. Filled with hatred for her father, she just lashes out at him when he comes to offer the proverbial olive branch.

Donnie Smith (William H. Macy) is one of Deans shows former child geniuses with the typical showbiz parents. Now, at this stage in his life with no money and no love, he wants to go in for braces on his teeth so that he can find someone to love.

''I have a lot of love but no one to give'' he says in despair to his sneering bar mates. Working in a small elecronics shop for Solomon Solomon (Alfred Molina), he turns to crime to get the money to fund his braces that he is convinced is going to

fetch him love.

Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) is a child genius on Deans show who is the money making machine for his father. Approaching a milestone in the game shows history, he reaches the end of his tether and rebels against everyone - the game show host and his father.

Jim Curring (John C. Reilly) is an ineffectual cop who is also on the lookout for love, judging from the ads that he has put in in different proposals. He is a devout catholic, a large-hearted person who does not believe in following the law as it is laid down, but in doing what he believes the law set to achieve. Following a raid on Claudia's house - after her neighbors complain about her loud music - he is inexplicably smitten with her and asks her out.

Rounding them up is Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman) , Earl's day care nurse. The only one without any major conflicts in his life, he tries to bring about some sort of a rapprochement between Earl and his son.

Phew .... with a cast consisting of so many characters (all principals), one would thing that PT Anderson would be hardpressed to make a cohesive movie. But he does exactly that. Jumping from character to character, he does not give the audience any time to ponder over a scene. The first 40 / 45 mins of the move moves at a breakneck speed as he establishes character and background. Then he slows things down, spending some more time with each character letting us know them better.

The movie prologue features three small pieces that further enforces the directors message that anything is possible in life. Nothing can be planned. And the stunt that he pulls off in the last half hour has to be seen to be believed.

There is a scene in the movie featuring a song where the camera captures each of the characters and they sing along - in whatever state they are in - Earl is lying in bed senseless, Linda has just attempted suicide, Claudia is getting ready for her date with Jim and so on. Could have been funny, but the entire arrangement comes out perfect.

Performance wise, there is not a weak link anywhere. Right from Jason Robards, Tom Cruise to Jeremy Blackman - each actor performs with gusto, making us feel for them. Moore has a lot of hysterics and screaming, but she gives it her all.

But then, the best performance is perhaps from PT Anderson, who has made a great piece of cinema leaving it up to the audience to interpret it as they want.

Some may call it pretentious, some may be offended by the stong language and imagery and some will love it. But no one can put it aside that easily. I loved it.