Magnolia Critic Reviews

The kind of film I instinctively respond to. Leave logic at the door. Do not expect subdued taste and restraint, but instead a kind of operatic ecstasy.Read the full review

One of the best movies of the year--startling, innovative, hugely funny and powerfully, courageously moving.Read the full review

Anderson must have needed that bonkers third-hour climax because there was nowhere to go short of spontaneous combustion.Read the full review

The most imperfect of the year's best movies, Magnolia's flaws are easily forgiven because they are the result of go-for-broke ambition.Read the full review

Anderson's big, showy flower of a movie unfurls brilliantly, each plot petal a thing of exquisite design. Then it ripens. Then it disintegrates, leaving a mess of color and a faint whiff of rot.Read the full review

It's astonishing to see a film begin this brilliantly only to torpedo itself in its final hour.Read the full review

As intoxicating as the flower it's named for, and its characters, most of them as flawed and fascinating as the film itself, seem intoxicated by the overpowering scent.Read the full review

Drunk and disorderly on the pure joy of making movies. A frantic, flawed, fascinating film that is both impressive and a bit out of control, often at the same time.Read the full review

Magnolia is "Short Cuts" with hope. It's my kind of mess.Read the full review