Magnolia

Reviewed by: Glendajean

February 7, 2000

Return

Magnolia was mystifying. I assume that one of its examples of coincidences was drawn from the same story that the tv series Homicide used a few seasons ago (the young man jumping off of the roof of an apartment house, the parents quarreling 3 stories below, a gun goes off hitting the son as he flies by, changing his suicide to a murder.

Willam Macy plays desparation better than anybody, although the actor who played the LA cop would give him a second close. Juliann Moore picks the oddest roles and yet I always find her mesmerizing. I recently watched Vanya on 42nd Street on tv and am deciding that she is one of my favorite actors. Robards was reduced to small mutterings from a death bed, and yet, imo, he acted rings around Cruise. Philip Seymour Hoffman was excellent.

The story was only interesting because it was fractured. I was left unsure about my own conclusions.