Magnolia (1999) Magnolia

Paul Thomas Anderson's third feature is a three-hour ensemble drama that weaves nine interconnected stories across one day in the San Fernando Valley. It is a film about dying fathers and damaged children, about the things people carry and the accidents — cosmic, biblical, meteorological — that force those things into the open.

Quick Facts

Detail Info
Director/Writer Paul Thomas Anderson
Stars Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall, Jeremy Blackman, Melora Walters
Composer Jon Brion
Songs Aimee Mann
Cinematographer Robert Elswit
Editor Dylan Tichenor
Production Company Ghoulardi Film Company
Distributor New Line Cinema
Budget ~$37 million
Box Office ~$48 million (worldwide)
Release Date December 17, 1999 (limited), January 7, 2000 (wide)
Running Time 188 minutes
Academy Award Nominations Best Supporting Actor (Tom Cruise), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song

Key Pages

Director & Craft

Cast Pages

Key Sequences

Analysis & Setting

Sources