From the very start, we get a sense of P.T. Anderson's masterful storytelling techniqe as we get a glimpse of strange occurences that actually happen but we never hear about. The most outrageous being a man jumping off a building committing suicide, only to end up being the accomplice to his own murder. How? Well, it involves a safety net, a shotgun, and his mother. Yes, Magnolia is strange, but the movie is able to blend together with such stunning artistry the lives of 12 people in the San Fernando Valley, and able to keep the audience's attention despite the 3 hours plus running time of the movie.

The beautiful artistry of Magnolia really stands out when reflected upon. Paul Thomas Anderson takes the lives of these 12 people and spends just enough time on each before moving on to the next to give each and every character a unique likeness and a firm place in the movie. The film starts out with a TV showing ads for Frank T.J. Mackey's (Tom Cruise) "Seduce and Destroy" system for getting women. With the TV in the background, we hear faint remnants of Frank's ramblings as we are introduced to the characters whose lives will be played out before us. At the center of the circle is Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), on his deathbed dying of cancer. Alone with his nurse Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) because his wife, Linda (Julianne Moore), has gone out to replenish the medications need to keep the pain from torturing Earl. Then we are introduced to "quiz-kid" Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), whose parents stole the $100,000 prize he won competeing on the still on-going game show "What do Kids Know?" Still hosting after many years is Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall), about to see 3 kids break the record for most appearances held previously by Donnie Smith. Among the kids about to set the record is Stanley Spector (Jerry Blackman), another young child genius forced by his father to do good and win more for the family. Meanwhile, Jimmy Gator's drug-addicted, hard-of-hearing daughter, Claudia (Melora Walters) has attraced the attention of policeman Jim Kurring (John C. Reilley) as he is on his regular patrol. Called to her apartment after a neighbor called in loud music and an argument, Officer Kurring immediately is enamored with Claudia and he tries to help her through her hard times.

Magnolia features many different common threads aside from the relationship of the 12 characters. In most cases, a father is trying to right a wrong or reconcile with a lost child, Earl Partridge with Frank T.J. Mackey, Jimmy Gator with Claudia, and in a reversal of roles, Stanley Spector with his father Rick. Throughout the movie, we see how one small (or large depending on point of view) action in the past can cause such a schism between father and sibling. And how a few lines of dialogue, though it can't mend all scars, can certainly bring father and sibling closer together.

Also, of great importance to the Magnolia movie-going experience is the Soundtrack. A brilliant score by Amy Mann blended seamlessly with the film in almost an overpowering way at times, the music of Magnolia is not to be missed. Magnolia's emotional power and stunning drive is lost without the soundtrack.

With spectacular performances turned in by the entire cast, especially John C. Reilley's portrayal of a conflicted officer who liked to talk to either an invisible COPS camera crew or a non-existent partner. Juilanne Moore, also extremely conflicted between her feelings of guilt for marrying Earl Partridge for his money and her feelings of helplessness for his pain and suffering, doesn't get the screentime she deserved, but nonetheless turns in one of her best performances this year.

You'll either hate or love Magnolia. It will either move you emotionally or move you to exit the theater. At three hours plus, Magnolia definitely doesn't skimp on the character development. And after it's all said and done, Paul Thomas Anderson has a classic on his hands. The careful editing and panning between characters has paid off as P.T. Anderson delivers a great movie that tops his previous masterpiece Boogie Nights in splendor and beauty.