Magnolia still gives me the creeps.
Was looking forward to this movie as it had a lot of the cast from Boogie Nights, and the same writer / director, Paul Thomas Anderson. I remember hoping for at least ONE joke somewhere in this three hour mope-fest, but no dice. I couldn't even laugh at the way it was filmed, or the acting like I can with a typically bad movie. It had a lot of promise for some good scenes and memorable lines a la Boogie Nights (Buck's sales pitch for the TK 421 at the stereo store is one of my favorite scenes). I wasn't looking for a comedy, but I thought one of the nice things about movies is that they show you things you don't typically see day to day. This was a case study of losers, which isn't bad, but these were BOOORING losers. None of the characters had any endearing qualities - none - they all SUCKED! AAAAGHHH! I HATE YOU! WHEN IS SOMETHING GOING TO EXPLODE? WHERE ARE THE ALIENS? AAAAAGHHHH! I know I don't understand the message of the movie, but I don't really care. If you're going to show me how much life can suck sometimes, OK, but life can also be funny - even in small ways - from time to time. Most film makers know this and balance out the depressing scenes with a little humor so it doesn't feel like a freaking funeral or a root canal the whole time. I can't type anymore about this crappy film except to say I wish I hadn't sat there to the end for the great ending that wasn't. I could have better used that extra hour chewing on tinfoil or squirting lemon juice in my eyes, it would've been less painful.
I think
Maddox should review this movie, he can do it way better than me.