Christian Review of Magnolia

Magnolia begins with the dramatic re-telling of three extraordinary events. A man is murdered by three men whose surnames iterate the town in which he was murdered, a scuba diver is lifted up by a seaplane and dropped onto a forest fire, and a man’s failed suicide attempt turns successful when he is accidentally shot by his shotgun-wielding mother. Such events hold little importance in the actual story of Magnolia, a story of how the lives and struggles of nine very different people slowly become intertwined on one rainy day. What is important in these first few scenes is the message, one that should definitely strike a chord with Christian audiences. As the narrator begins relating the stories, he makes them sound as though they are simply “a matter of chance.” By the third account, however, he expresses his firm belief that “this was not just a matter of chance. These strange things happen all the time.”

Paul Thomas Anderson’s intentions are questionable. Does the director of Boogie Nights mean to suggest that these events are the work of a divine God? The audience is given little time to ponder this, as the focus immediately shifts to the characters. We see Frank T.J. Mackey (Tom Cruise), the chauvinistic self-help expert whose appalling language will likely be enough to turn some audiences away. There is Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman), a boy genius, Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), Frank’s dying father, and Phil Parma (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Earl’s kind-hearted nurse. Hoffman seems to fit this benevolent character surprisingly well, given his history of villainous roles in Boogie Nights and The Talented Mr. Ripley, showing his great versatility as an actor. Additionally, we see Linda Partridge (Julianne Moore), Earl’s drug-addicted second wife, Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), a grown up child star trying to make a living, game show host Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall), and his abused daughter Claudia (Melora Waters). Perhaps most notable of all is Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly), a Los Angeles cop who is also a devout Catholic. Kurring is the most normal, real character in the movie, and often acts as the voice of reason in a plot riddled with strife. He helps, heals, and forgives, allowing other characters to safely go on with their lives.

The acting in Magnolia is superb, regardless of certain characters’ deranged values. The film’s drama is not shown through action but through raw emotion, since the characters’ struggles are largely internal. Earl Partridge struggles to re-unite himself with his lost son, while his wife struggles to redeem herself for her sins. Donnie Smith struggles to mend the scars left by his abnormal childhood, while Stanley Spector tries to prevent a similar situation from befalling him. Forgiveness plays an important role in the movie, as the characters struggle not only to forgive their fathers of their wrongdoings, but also to convince themselves that they are not the ones responsible. As numerous characters in the movie say, “We may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us.” In the context of the movie, they could have easily quoted Psalms 79:8, which reads, “Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.” A similar moment occurs when the entire cast of characters quietly sings along to Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up.” As they join in to the chorus, in a moment that