The official description of this movie is " a mosaic of interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness and meaning." That pretty accurately describes the film because at first it is really difficult to imagine how all of these various stories and characters could possibly have anything to do with one-another.... until they do.

With such a star-studded lineup, it is easy to understand how this film could end up being a winner. It bet it was also a bit of a nightmare for director Paul Thomas Anderson who had to manage all of those egos at the same time. The actors include such names as Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, and John C. Reilly. They all give fantastic performances but I primarily have to point to Tom Cruise and William H. Macy as most outstanding.

I was particularly surprised by Tom Cruise (and i might be in the minority here) but i don't generally consider him a great actor as i feel his is more of a mass-producers of action films.

I'm not going to get into the individual stories but I will just say that each of them is a good one and they mix together well towards the end in the finale. While most of the stories are pretty far fetched, they all incorporate some aspects of daily life that make you reflect on your own life long after the movie is over. I like it when films can accomplish this and is a great reason to give this one a go.

Magnolia struggled at the box office and it wasn't until after being nominated for many awards, including Grammys and Oscars that the film made its money back and a decent profit (nothing huge though.)

I actually don't like the trailer very much because it reveals too much but whatever.