First of all, I should confess that it took me a few days to decide what I thought about this new film from writer director Paul Thomas Anderson. I loved his last film (Boogie Nights) and even his directorial debut (Hard Eight) had some worthy attributes.

Magnolia doesn't really have a plot nor does it have much of a point for that matter. Anderson introduces us to several characters and disassociated plotlines in a way that recalls some of the brilliant work of Robert Altman. I guess what he's trying to tell the audience is that life is strange and we all walk around aimlessly trying to obtain our goals and find love in this funny thing called life. With an absolutely absurd twist near the film's end (a ridiculous phenomenon that I will not reveal) he tries to tell us that sometimes unexplained things happen. Altman used the same type of device in Short Cuts, but in that film it was something credible. Although the phenomenon Anderson uses in Magnolia is apparently mentioned in the bible, it seems completely ridiculous and out of left field. While many will no doubt be exhilarated (some other critics have found it to be brilliant) I sat there dumfounded. Just because it's different and unexpected doesn't necessarily make it a good thing.

Ultimately, I found Magnolia to be meandering and quite hollow. In fact, some scenes in this film run on far too long and many are just downright embarrassing to watch.

Still there's something to be said for good acting and a great soundtrack. Thankfully, Magnolia has both. Tom Cruise gives a startling, flashy performance as a motivational speaker and the founder of a misogynist boy's club called ÒSeduce and Destroy. Cruise goes all out in bringing this selfish yet sympathetic creep to life. In fact, I believe this is the type of performance that many thought he would give in the far superior Eyes Wide Shut. This makes two spectacular performances for Cruise in 1999. The underrated John C. Riley (Boogie Nights), Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Baker Hall, and Melora Walters also give strong performances. Unfortunately, it's the usually dependable Julianne Moore who falls flat.

Aimee Mann provides songs that actually sound better on their own. In fact, if I had heard it in time, it probably would have made my best albums of the year list.

Paul Thomas Anderson is unquestionably talented as he's proven before. Unfortunately, in Magnolia, for every hint of brilliance, there's about five flaws. There's no beginning, middle, or end. It's as if he just sat down, started writing, then stopped. He also has borrowed from much better films including; Your Friends and Neighbors, Searching for Bobby Fisher, and Short Cuts. None of those films were big hits so Mr. Anderson will, no doubt, get a lot of credit even though Magnolia isn't nearly as insightful or entertaining as those pictures.

Many critics have applauded Anderson for what they call unique and audacious film making. That's not all together true. A really good movie should have interesting characters and flow from one scene to the next. For me, Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia isn't only wilted, it's lifeless.