Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 76

'Magnolia' folds many petals into a symmetrical bloom -tr I "'V i I MOVIE REVIEW Magnolia GRADE A- DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson CAST: Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Tom Cruise, John C. Reilly, Melora Walters, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Melinda Dillon, Jeremy Blackman SCREENPLAY: Paul Thomas Anderson RATING: profanity, sexual situations, nudity, violence RUNNING TIME: 185 min. Lmi I I llllHlMM III I II m- 11 r. Ill I ii Naw Una Cinami Bartender Brad (Craig Kvinsland), Donnie Smith (William H.

Macy) and Thurston Howell (Henry Gibson) help lead Magnolia's varied plots to a surprising and daring finale. A minutely attuned and balanced cast turns initially random and haphazard action into a beautifully constructed organic whole. By STEVE PERSALL Tim Film Critic Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia begins with a puzzling trio of case studies in random chance. Three hours later, the film concludes in the midst of the strangest plot twist in memory, as if Anderson were seeking the most random occurrence imaginable to prove his elusive point That last-reel surprise is the most audacious move Anderson tries in his ruthlessly ambitious movie. It's a make-or-break move that will convince viewers of whatever instincts they develop about Magnolia by that time.

Admirers will consider it transcendent Grumblers who haven't already walked out may graduate from irritation to anger. Anderson doesn't allow any middle ground in his rambling ode to the luck of the lonely. Magnolia is cut from the same crazy-quilt patterns of Robert Altaian's ensemble pieces, in which separate lives merge within a metaphoric cultural setting; the country music scene of Nashville or Hollywood in The Player. Anderson His prize contestant is 11-year-old Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackmail), who receives attention from his stage father only when he wins. Stanley could grow up to be Vwz Kid" Donnie Smith (William H.

Macy), a former show champion and possibly a future suicide statistic. Donnie is obsessed with orthodontic surgery that could lead to the best thing for him since childhood stardom. There isn't a weak link in the cast with several actors worthy of special attention. Robards is so convincing with his role's illness that one might worry about his actual health. Walters is an impressive performer in her first major role, with a jittery gloom that demands sympathy.

Hall and Hoffman are simply two of the most aiminafly overlooked actors working today. Cruise has never been better, or more daring, than here. His perfect looks become a monster mask, and the vulgarity of the role is a stunning risk. If this all sounds bleak, it should. Magnolia is not a feel-good movie.

Whatever joy that can be extracted from the film comes from its expertly arbitrary nature and Anderson's dynamic way with words and pictures. He is an attentive screenwriter who directs with distracting flair. Long tracking shots and rapid zooms into close-ups become as noticeably intrusive as Altaian's penchant for overlapping dialogue. When Anderson falters and Magnolia is not without flaws at least he errs in enterprising fashion. MI ill -r" 1 chance at reconciliation, overdue romance, paternal acceptance, or simply dropping whatever act TV success taught them to uphold.

Secrets are revealed and concealed during one rainy day until that cataclysmic finale tenuously links each character together. Magnolia is the kind of material actors cherish, with bravura passages of emotional release and dialogue crackling with despair and a hint of ironic humor. Each actor is gifted with at least one show-stopping scene, and each scene conveys the anticipation that this could be the one. This is a film to be referenced in acting classes as a sterling example of ensemble players achieving a wider truth. Anderson's tragic carnival ride includes a dying network legend named Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) and his trophy wife Linda (Julianne Moore), who feels a late rush of guilty love for the old man.

His last request is to be reunited with his estranged son, a misogynist infomercial guru (Tom Cruise) preaching a program called "Seduce and Destroy." Earl's doting nurse Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is trying to arrange the meeting. Meanwhile, an LAPD officer named Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly) spends his day checking his love connection mailbox number and practicing for a role on Cops. Checking out a domestic disturbance introduces Jim to Claudia (Melora Walters). Jim is so smitten that he doesn't notice Claudia is a cocaine addict Her worries about getting busted can't overcome his desire for romance.

The third avenue of Magnolia leads to a game show, a timely coincidence considering the current craze for the genre. Wiat Do Kids Know? is the longest-running contest on the air, like yyer Jeopardy pitting children and adults against each other. The host is Jimmy Gator (Iliilip Baker Hall), a bekjved TV icon recently diagnosed with cancer. secures his bond with Altaian by casting a pair of that filmmaker's favorite actors, Henry Gibson and Michael Murphy, in pivotal roles. Anderson returns to the San Fernando Valley region he prowled in Boogie Nights, on the affluent flip side of that film's pom-star backdrop.

Magnolia flits around the edges of the television industry, yet both films display Anderson's fascination with family dynamics. Boogie Nights showed desperate people resorting to an impersonation of a family, finding relief from unsavory lives. Magnolia depicts families as impostor clans, supposedly supportive and either failing or deluded. Everybody has one last mm? iK'll'Y' 'i-VJ. 1 51 v.

Si I ,7 f. JANUARY 7, 2000 ftiiifit 7-S A 2 iO o'i OiO o. nt9 KEY 74s Recommended 9 A mixed bag A dud American Beauty Anna and the King Any Given Sunday Being John Malkovich Bicentennial Man The Cider House Rules Deuce Bigalow End Ot Days Galaxy Quest The Green Mile The Insider Man On the Moon Mansfield Park Ride With the Devil Stuart Little The Talentedjdr. Ripley Toy Story 2 TJieWorldJs Not Enough" 2000.BoGmnOe Ji Special Exhibit i Mel Fisher's "Treasures of the c. onerea or snown for sale.

Meet Kim y't 'im r1J i Fisher at the Booth. Booth. 10w TIMES FRIDAY,.