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Magnolia (1999) ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction (Patreon)

Published:
2025-11-05 14:00:18
Imported:
2026-08
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I have set a record for the longest review in the history of my reactions. I am so sorry that's at the end of a 3 hour movie, making this video nearly 4 hours long. 😅

This was a Reactr request from Tyler - thank you so much! I'm very excited to read your comments down below and thank you for watching! [Direct link here.]

✦ KL

Files

Magnolia (1999) ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction

Comments

Chris Thom

Some people might find the part a little corny or contrived, but I LOVE the scene where they're all singing along to the Aimee Mann song. Found it really effective. This is one of my all time favorite movies. Paul Thomas Anderson is a major talent as a director.

Steve Mercier

This one is...long. Paul Thomas Anderson has a tendency to make good movies, the cast here is straight-up fan-fucking-tastic, and Tom Cruise takes it to 11 in the best possible way. But I can feel the long run time on this one. Sing-a-longs and raining frogs are an interesting choice, but my problem is the long. In any case, I hope you enjoy.

Tyler Foster

Well, I lied -- I woke up, saw that this had been uploaded, and immediately took a half-day at work so I could watch it immediately instead of suffering through my shift in anticipation. Also, you're right: the comment is going to be about as long as your outro! I don't remember which movie it was or what your comment was, which is a shame, but there was some reaction I watched in the last couple of months where you said something that made me think, even though I don't think we're that far apart in age, that the "generation" of media that we think of as "ours" is different, and (not judging, of course, just observing) I think one of the big differences between our respective eras is that the contemporary modus operandi is big on backstory. The obvious example would be the MCU -- everything fits into an interlocking puzzle, hopefully in a clean and consistent way, and that tapestry of information is generally complete. You really see this in the way the first thing that the industry wants to do when there is a successful movie or TV show is to make spin-offs and prequels and whatnot, to try and fill in any unanswered questions. Of course, I'm sure there are shows or movies where you enjoy the ambiguity (I know you love "Dark," a show I need to watch, and which I get the impression may be more likely to leave some things up to the viewer), but I did wonder what you were going to make of stuff like the frog rain and the somewhat broad framing device of coincidence, especially since it's such a long movie. Even if the movie wasn't a little strange or out there, it's a big ask, and naturally I worried that you might not vibe with it right from the start, and then it would be a long sit. In any case, while I believe the frog rain is sort of open to interpretation as a bizarre and unexplained thing that happens, I also agree with your take on it, which is that this one event ends up affecting all of these people, all of whom are at least tangentially connected in some way (even Stanley, in that he is appearing on one of Earl Partridge's game shows), and like it said in the review you read, hopefully in a way that sets them all on a better path. (As far as the movie goes, I don't think an explanation as to why the frog rain occurs is necessary, but I remember reading on IMDb Trivia long ago that this is a phenomenon that can occur when a hurricane or a tornado passes over a lake with many frogs living in it, which are picked up and then dumped elsewhere.) Several of the movie's key songs were performed and most were also written by singer/songwriter Aimee Mann. Anderson met Mann when hiring a composer for his debut film, Hard Eight (1996), and Mann's music apparently inspired him to write the script. Claudia's line "Now that I've met you, would you object to never seeing me again?" is actually a line from one of Mann's older songs, "Deathly." The most memorable tracks of hers in the film are probably her cover of "One (is the Loneliest Number)" over the opening character introductions; "Save Me," which plays at the end when the film goes to credits; and of course, "Wise Up," sung by all of the characters in that beautiful, memorable montage in the middle. "Wise Up" was originally written for Jerry Maguire, but writer/director Cameron Crowe ended up cutting it when he felt the final piece did not match the tone he was going for. At the time, he described it as "heartbreaking," but I think it ending up in magnolia instead was for the best. That ripple effect sort of continued into the future as Cruise, having collaborated with him on Maguire and another movie later, clearly saw Crowe's Almost Famous, and brought Billy Crudup and his co-star here, Philip Seymour Hoffman, on board for Mission: Impossible III. Also, on the subject of the music, the score is also by Jon Brion, who you would know from his work scoring Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (as well as ParaNorman, among many others). One thing I think is interesting is the idea of the parallels between Jimmy Gator and Earl Partridge. Two old men, dying of cancer, taking stock of their lives, but Earl actually accepts and admits his wrongdoing fully and clearly regrets his mistakes, whereas Jimmy continues to lie to himself. Also, Jimmy may die before the cancer gets him, as he shoots the television when the frog hits him and it causes some sort of short and smoke comes out of the outlet, so for all we know, the house burns down and he dies in the fire. An observation that is not my own (as someone who has never read the Bible) is that the movie has many very subtle references to Exodus 8:2. The most direct reference can be seen in the form of a bus ad on the left side of the street in the "weather update" chapter card right before the frog rain, which literally just says "Exodus 8.2" on it. On this viewing, I also noticed cables on the roof in the intro when Sydney Barringer is about to jump, curled into the shape of an 8 and a 2. Apparently there are many, many more, as well. 8:2 says: "And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs." A chunk of the subplot involving the rapping kid, Dixon, was cut out of the movie. The rap explains that Dixon's father, husband to Marcie (whose closet the body is found in), known as "Worm," killed the man in the closet as some sort of unspecified revenge (the rap describes the closet guy as "a long-time oppressor," suggesting he probably kept coming by and shaking Worm and Marcie down for money). Their story is not especially important to the plot, but it does fit the film's recurring theme of parents who are letting down their children in some way. At the time Anderson made the movie, he reportedly said he thought it might be the best movie he would ever make. In more recent years, he has said that he would probably cut another 20 minutes out of it if he were making it today. While there is another PTA film I like better, I think the movie is a masterpiece, and is also probably longer than it needs to be, although I wouldn't want to be the one cutting it down. Wayne Gretzky as an example of a legendary athlete? 🫵 CANADIAN REFERENCE Last but not least, a quick rundown of a couple of the actors: • One of the three robbers from the prologue was played by Neil Flynn, famous as the janitor on "Scrubs." One of the other robbers was played by Pat Healy, who also appears later in the film as the suspicious pharmacist assistant. Pat has a brief cameo appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but you would definitely know him best as Jeff, the aspiring criminal whose mother ultimately brings Jimmy McGill's escape from justice to an end in "Better Call Saul." As a joke, the character Healy plays in the prologue is named Edmund, and then his pharmacist character is named Ed Jr. • Of all the people you could've recognized in the movie, the one that surprised me that you did not recognize was John C. Reilly as Jim, but then, I guess I have no idea what you would've seen him in -- you only hear him as Ralph in Wreck-It Ralph. • William H. Macy (Quiz Kid Donnie Smith) is not the guy from The Grinch (that's Bill Irwin), but I see the resemblance. His real-life wife, Felicity Huffman, plays the coordinator who is frequently speaking to Stanley on the set of the show. • Claudia is played by Melora Walters. It wasn't a very important role, so I'm sure you would never have remembered this, but she played a homeless woman who Eddie Brock knows in Venom, who is ultimately kidnapped and killed during the attempts to get the symbiote to fuse with someone. Also, her mother is played by Melinda Dillon, the woman who was desperately searching for her abducted boy Barry in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. • Stanley's father is played by Michael Bowen, who you would've seen as partner to Michael Keaton in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. • The old man at the bar you didn't care for was played by Henry Gibson, who you recently saw in The Blues Brothers as the leader of the Illinois Nazis. Also, speaking of the "Breaking Bad" universe, one of the two guys at the bar who recognizes Donnie is played by Jim Beaver, who had a recurring role as the black market gun salesman on both "BB" and "BCS." • Linda and Earl's attorney, who tells her she can't be taken out of the will, is played by Michael Murphy, who was also the guy who had stolen the Top Secret documents in What's Up, Doc? • In addition to Clark Gregg, the staff of "What Do Kids Know?" also includes Ricky Jay, the large bearded man who appears somewhat prominently. Jay was a famous magician who acted in several movies, and also provides the movie's narration. Another staff member seen very briefly was played by Robert Downey, Sr. Also, when you see the scenes of young Jimmy Gator on TV with Donnie Smith during his win, the role is played by Thomas Jane. I am glad you liked the movie! There is another PTA film I will probably request at some point...but I'll make sure whatever I request next, whenever I can, will be shorter than this one. :)

Tyler Foster

I think the thing that is true of PTA's movies, good and bad, at least for me, is how much I get sucked into the world that they are creating. Something about the camerawork and the music and the emotional content, which are generally a little operatic and grand, create a hypnotizing sort of atmosphere. I think TWBB is probably better at this, in reflection of the growth PTA experienced as a filmmaker between 1999 and 2008, but I see that in both of them, and his other movies.

Movies with KL

I'll reply to a few other points later, but I should clarify that I do *know* who John C. Reilly is, I just didn't mention it in the reaction. But I did recognize him as the actor that is with Will Ferrell in Step Brothers - I just haven't seen that movie. 😅 Def did not recognize that he was the voice of Ralph!

Sam

I don't really know what to say about this film, but it's so long that I kinda feel like I have to say something, as I just spent 3 hours watching it—again—so... Um... on the positive side, the acting's good, I like Supertramp and it was shot on 35mm. On the negative side... everything else :D I feel like this might be a bit unfair, because there are snippets of scenes and concepts that I think are great. But snippets of scenes over a 3 hour movie just aren't enough, I'm afraid. I did, however, enjoy your reaction to it. And I would highly recommend One Battle After Another by PTA—best film I've seen this year.

Tyler Foster

Step Brothers was also scored by Jon Brion! There's even a somewhat well-known commentary (by people who know commentaries) on the film in which Will Ferrell and Reilly sing their comments to live score being improvised on the spot by Brion. (Also, NBA player Baron Davis shows up, for some reason.)

Movies with KL

I'm glad you enjoyed the reaction! Thank you for watching with me, even though you didn't end up fully enjoying it.

Nathan Jasper

I feel like Tom must have drawn from his own personal experience, having had an abusive father who he stated was "a bully and a coward, the kind where when something happens they kick you". That scene when he finally sees his father in the hospital and lays into him just to plead for him to stay felt so incredibly personal. That could just be a great actor doing his job, but something tells me it was a lot deeper than that. I tend to refer to this film as a cynic's nightmare. Deep down, I don't think cynics WANT everything to be bad and terrible, they just expect it to be. They believe it is and that it won't get any better. This film is so good at portraying life as it is. It's messy, it's disappointing, it's heartbreaking, and long, but at times there can be small slivers of hope and extreme absurdity that makes the suffering a little less heavy.

Ads

I'm a massive PTA fan that being said I like this movie don't love it. Feels like an unrefined Paul Thomas Anderson, a lot of interesting ideas, concepts and great acting all thrown into a bloated runtime. Would love to see a reaction to 'The Master' which I think is PTA at his best. As always thanks for the reaction 💪🏻💪🏻

Chris Thom

I've seen this movie at least ten times, but I don't think I've EVER watched it all in one sitting. Not once. Usually pause it for a bit, and go do something else for a while, then come back to it. Or have it on in the background.

Tyler Foster

He definitely did. There's an image I posted in the Discord in the Patreon member chat that goes into some of that.

Chris Thom

Did you like Boogie Nights?

Chris Thom

The Master is fantastic, but also quite long. With probably less happening on screen than this one. But definitely an interesting meditation on cults, group dynamics, subservience, and longing.

Vincent Hollow

I'm glad I took a chance on this one. I had zero expectations, but I was cautious because 3hours is a commitment. I did remember seeing trailers for this back in 99/00 and just as it started raining frogs, a core memory unlocked and an image of a black title card with a lone frog hopping across as a magnolia blooms appeared in my head and I was like "Oh thats right there's fucking frogs in this movie?!?!?" 😅

Tyler Foster

Right now, I would rank PTA's films as follows, with my favorite at the top: • Inherent Vice (2014) • magnolia (1999) • Phantom Thread (2017) • There Will Be Blood (2007) • Punch-Drunk Love (2002) • Hard Eight (1996) • Boogie Nights (1997) I have also seen The Master (2012) and Licorice Pizza (2021), but only once each, theatrically, and I'd like to rewatch them both before adding them to the ranking. I haven't watched One Battle After Another (2025) yet. Now, with the ranking, there aren't any PTA films I don't like, so I appreciate Boogie Nights, but it's definitely the one I would say I feel most out-of-step with the consensus on, as everyone else seems to like it more than me. It's also actually the only one I have any real reservations with, as I think Hard Eight is pretty underrated.