And the book says, "We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us."

Magnolia (1999)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Robards, Alfred Molina, Melora Walters, Jeremy Blackman, Melinda Dillon, April Grace and Luis Guzmán

24 hours in L.A. Two parallel and intercut stories dramatize men about to die: both are estranged from a grown child, both want to make contact, and neither child wants anything to do with dad. Earl Partridge's son is a charismatic misogynist; Jimmy Gator's daughter is a cokehead and waif. A mild and caring nurse intercedes for Earl, reaching the son; a prayerful and upright beat cop meets the daughter, is attracted to her, and leads her toward a new calm. Meanwhile, guilt consumes Earl's young wife, while two whiz kids, one grown and a loser and the other young and pressured, face their situations.

In this, his third feature, Anderson channels a little bit of Altman for an epic collision of tortured souls. Without question his most ambitious film he pulls it off without a hitch. Astonishing performances all around and flawless execution make this a modern masterpiece. For some this film is too long, but with so much going on to me it feels closer to 2 hours than 3, and there is always something new to catch. It just doesn't get better than this modern epic about loneliness, alienation and the struggle to make sense of coincidence. And who knew Tom Cruise could act?

As a side note for those unaware; Robards was fighting cancer at the time of filming, which would claim his life within a year.

Region 1 (NTSC) DVD9 Ripped with no compression using DVDShrink 3.2 Special Features on Disc 2; Not included here (Go Buy It)

Subs: English

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA): Rated R Runtime: 188 min Audio: 5.1 Surround and Stereo Suround Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Release Date: 7 January 2000 (USA)