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Magnolia (1999) First Time Watching! Full Movie Reaction!! (Patreon)

Published:
2026-10-19 17:40:01
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2026-10
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Magnolia (1999) First Time Watching! Full Movie Reaction!!

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Backlog Andy M.

I watched this once. Only one thing i can remember. 🐸🐸🐸

Birdie Num Num

It won't win a poll, but this film was hugely influenced by Robert Altman's Short Cuts(1993). PTA was a great admirer of Altman was the insurance director on Altman's last film due to Altman's age and health. So how bout a Robert Altman poll:) You've reacted to one of his films - 3 Women.

Birdie Num Num

Also this film influenced Weapons, surprisingly.

OddThomas

Still PTAs best film imo. Punch Drunk Love is good too.

penoyer79

this one definitely takes some marinating and additional watches to fully get it. PTA wrote the bulk of the script following the death of his own estranged father. He was staying up at William H Macy's cabin in vermont. He saw a snake which made him afraid to go outisde and just started writing this as a catharsis to his own grief and regret. The music of Aimee Mann which you hear throughout the film was the album he was listening to while greiving and writing this script. i believe the hoody guy we saw with the rapper kid... was that kid's older brother... it was a storyline/character that got cut out of the movie.

OddThomas (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-22 06:00 1999 was such a great year for original films. Three Kings, Being John Malkovich, The Matrix, Fight Club, American Beauty, The Sixth Sense, Blair Witch Project & Magnolia. It's a shame Melora Waters didn't really do anything after Magnolia as she's so good in it. I recommend seeking out the making of and the gag reel; both some of the best you'll see.
2026-10-19 22:17 1999 was such a great year for original films. Three Kings, Being John Malkovich, The Matrix, Fight Club, American Beauty, The Sixth Sense, Blair Witch Project & Magnolia. It's a shame Melora Walters didn't really do anything big after Magnolia as she's so good in it. I recommend seeking out the making of and the gag reel; both some of the best you'll see.

1999 was such a great year for original films. Three Kings, Being John Malkovich, The Matrix, Fight Club, American Beauty, The Sixth Sense, Blair Witch Project & Magnolia. It's a shame Melora Walters didn't really do anything big after Magnolia as she's so good in it. I recommend seeking out the making of and the gag reel; both some of the best you'll see.

Shehab Dawoud

I was right that this was a kind of film you hadn't seen before. I absolutely love this film, my fav PTA, but I understand why some things may have fallen a bit flat for you. It's a lot to take in on the first viewing. It's so dense, so ambitious, so many characters and storylines. It is a bit of a modern, non-traditional epic in a way. Themes such as grief, trauma, pain caused by parents, confronting the past, (which gets brought up twice) or avoiding it by putting up facades, are central. It also tries to say that some things are just out of our control, and the things that happen to us can be very cruel. But how we choose to handle them is just as important. It also shows that things can get better, but it's not easy and won't happen overnight, and I felt that Claudia's awkward smile at the end was meant to convey that. Like Daniel said, it would've felt too cheesy if we had some run-of-the-mill happy moments at the end. It's more realistic this way, you don't go from traumatized and depressed to happy just like that. The film Short Cuts (1993) is very similar in its storytelling, with many characters, whose storylines intertwine. I highly recommend it.

David Wilkins

Great job, you two! This is the kind of work that does need to marinate. I was there for opening weekend, and would have been hard pressed for your kind of on the spot reflection. Any criticism of it is fair, especially after one viewing. With the nature of it, there could be three or four different approaches to story and editing, and any of them might have been improvements, but I do love it for what it is. The performances are definitely the greatest strength.

Shehab Dawoud

This was definitely Tom's best chance to win an Oscar and he got royally screwed. He's the only man who's ever made me cry by crying himself. He is so good in this!

Paul McCormack

PTA signed my Magnolia script when I saw him speak at Berkeley 20 years ago!

Domino

Oooh that's cool!

Jonathan Patrick

Hey Sam! ❤️ Loved watching you guys react to *Magnolia*! One of my favorite films, and I completely understand some of your reactions, especially with the frogs. 😂 I remember being thrown off by that ending myself the first time. But the more I thought about this movie, and the more I watched it, the more I fell in love with it. Today I consider it an absolute masterpiece. Something I love about *Magnolia* is that it's not really about all these people's stories coming together in some big Hollywood payoff. It's about how people can live completely different lives and still carry the same pain. Regret, abandonment, childhood trauma, guilt, loneliness, forgiveness, and that desperate need to be loved. And Frank's story absolutely breaks my heart. Here's a man who built his entire personality around being tough, dominant and untouchable, largely because of the pain he experienced as a little boy. Remember when he returns to his seminar after that reporter tears down his whole image? When he talks about his father spanking him and how that shaped who he became? My God, look at his face, especially his eyes. It's almost like he's realizing it himself right there in front of everybody, and he's fighting it, insisting he won't apologize. Then later, watching him go from cursing his father to breaking down and begging him not to leave him again...that absolutely destroys me. Underneath all that anger and bravado is still that abandoned little boy who just wanted his dad. I don't think Frank suddenly becomes a completely different person. He'll probably always have that edge to him, but I do believe he leaves that experience a better man. To me, that's his awakening. And Tom Cruise? Absolutely robbed of an Oscar. What a phenomenal performance! And look at the other parallels you guys were pointing out. Donnie's childhood was basically stolen from him, and now we're watching little Stanley go through something similar, except Stanley finally stands up for himself. Maybe he's the one who actually breaks that cycle. That's a pretty powerful payoff in itself. And Earl and Jimmy? Two dying fathers facing their pasts, but neither gets to control how the people they've hurt respond. I loved hearing you guys start connecting those stories. I've always looked at that frog knocking the gun out of Jimmy's hand as a kind of punishment for what he's done. He doesn't get to escape everything with one quick pull of the trigger. And Earl doesn't get that final conversation or the closure he desperately wanted with Frank, either. But Frank gets something he needed. He finally gets to let out years of pain at his father's bedside. Sometimes the people who've caused the hurt don't get the closure they're looking for, but the people carrying that hurt finally get a chance to release it. I think there's something incredibly powerful about that. And I actually think the frogs belong! 😂 You guys brought up Exodus, and I love that connection. The whole movie is about people trapped in their own personal storms, unable to escape their past, and suddenly something completely beyond anyone's control interrupts everything. It's almost like life saying, "You think you're in control, but you're really not." The frogs don't magically fix everyone's lives. They interrupt them. And sometimes it takes something extraordinary to break a cycle. Even Jim's gun suddenly returning during the frogs brings us back to those crazy coincidences the movie opened with. And the "Wise Up" sing-along! I actually LOVE that scene. I've always looked at it almost like people in different parts of town listening to the same song on the radio. They're all in their own little worlds, but for those few minutes they're connected through that one song, kind of like how the game show connected people earlier in the movie. Except here, they're sharing something much deeper. All these lonely people who've spent the movie hiding their pain are suddenly expressing the same feelings, even though they're miles apart. They don't all have to physically meet for their stories to come together. To me, that's one of the most beautiful moments in the entire film. That's also why I love Jim and Claudia. After all that darkness, PTA leaves us with something so simple. A little kindness, someone willing to stay, and Claudia finally allowing herself to smile. Nothing is magically fixed, but there's hope. Sometimes that's enough. I really enjoyed hearing you two start putting more pieces together as you talked. That's exactly what happened to me with this movie. And I genuinely believe if you guys ever watch it a second time, you're going to love it even more. Once you're no longer wondering where all these stories are going, you start noticing all those little things that make this film so extraordinary. And DANIEL!! 😂 Hearing you say Tom Cruise might officially be your favorite actor made my night! I especially think you're going to appreciate his performance in *Magnolia* even MORE on a second viewing. Knowing what Frank has been through, watch those earlier scenes again. His eyes, his expressions, the way he's fighting to hold himself together while his whole identity is starting to crumble. On the first viewing you're discovering who Frank really is. On the second, you're watching Tom Cruise show you who he is before Frank can even admit it to himself. That's incredible acting! And that's exactly why I've been telling you guys for years that you HAVE to see more of his range! *Born on the Fourth of July*, *Vanilla Sky*, *Far and Away*, and yes, even *Cocktail*! Four completely different sides of Tom Cruise. Especially *Born on the Fourth of July*. If you thought he was incredible in *Magnolia*, you've GOT to experience him in that one. Oliver Stone directed him to one of the greatest performances of his career, and it earned Tom a Best Actor Oscar nomination! Seriously, you two need another Tom Cruise streak! 😂❤️ Much love to you both. Always appreciate you guys!

Paul McCormack

What a wonderful read on Magnolia! The whole movie is so operatic and taking huge emotional swings but there is also so much nuance and insight with all the characters. And I love the insistent score by Jon Brion, so hypnotic and rich. So glad they decided to watch it. For a much shorter and yet still powerful PTA movie, Punch-Drunk Love is perfect. <3

Jonathan Patrick

Thanks so much, Paul! Couldn't agree more, especially about Jon Brion's score. Just beautiful! Magnolia is one of those rare films that stays with you long after it's over, and somehow gets even better with every viewing. Love finding others who appreciate it as much as I do! 🎬

24fps_

I was not aware that you wanted this when I voted. I am sorry!

Dave Carmichael

You are forgiven. But I was 34 mins into Magnolia when I just couldn't stand it any more.

Will Knox

Love Short Cuts! Such an amazing ensemble film! I love Robert Altman's films.

Tyler Foster

Personally, I think movies could stand to be more strange sometimes. I love "Wise Up" because it's unexpected and potentially outrageous. The movie is already pretty outrageous, really. The prologue has a fairy tale or storybook quality to it and I suppose I have always subconsciously felt that the movie rests inside that. Although all the characters don't directly intersect, I do think there is a shallow cause-and-effect energy throughout the movie. if Linda were at home to hear Earl's desire to see Frank, then maybe their day would have gone differently. If Frank weren't walking out of the interview when he was put on the phone with Phil, his reaction to getting the call might've been different. So on and so forth. Personally, I detect a subtle but meaningful note of concession in Stanley's father's voice the second time he says "go to bed," like he's too tired to deal with it at that moment but he understands Stanley is right. Also, another element that I think may aid in Linda and Frank potentially finding peace with each other is that Linda found her love for Earl through caring for someone dying of cancer, and of course, Frank also has that experience. Hopefully this allows them to relate to each other. For me, the thing that gets me with the movie is how propulsive it is. The movie has a high-wire energy that it carries through all three hours. It's like a symphony, with the music and the camerawork and the editing and the performances. In that sense, the singing and the frogs don't seem like such a leap. It's all part of the movie's operatic scale. I have said a few times that the PTA film I most want to see on the channel is my favorite one, Inherent Vice (2014), which I just entered in the spin wheel. One thing I'll say as a recommendation is that even though there's some dark stuff in it, it's significantly lighter than this or There Will Be Blood, or even One Battle After Another. As a drug-filled detective movie, many have compared it to The Big Lebowski. It's also based on a Thomas Pynchon novel, just like OBAA, and it features an incredible all-star cast that rivals even magnolia's.

Tinderbox

The kid himself was the prophet he rapped about, maybe one of the child/angels discussed by Donny. He retrieved the gun safely and returned it in his own celestial way. Then saved Linda’s life.

Garry L

This has been my suggestion on the spin wheel for months, so I’m calling this my 3rd win 🤣

Dave Carmichael

Well there's no chance of that going in my Movies Classic folder! Unwatchable!