After the success of “Boogie Nights”, “Magnolia” only further cemented director Paul Thomas Anderson’s status as one of the most talented young film makers in the business. The story, also written by Anderson is a mosaic connecting different people from different walks of life, intertwining their fates as they search for meaning and happiness over the course of 24 hours. It also boasts an impressive cast of character actors, including Phillip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly and Tom Cruise. Police officer Jim Kurring (Reilly) falls for Claudia Wilson (Melora Walters), a young woman whom he meets while answering a call. Claudia’s possibly abusive dad is a popular host for a kids’ game show who is dying of cancer. One of the kids on the show cracks under the pressure of expectations his father places on him and wets himself on live TV. Donnie Smith, a former winner of the said quiz show, now a middle aged man, is a homosexual obsessed with dental surgery. He breaks into his workplace to steal the money he needs for the braces he believes will change his romantic fortunes. A former producer of the show is also dying of cancer and asks his male nurse (Hoffman) to help him reunite with his estranged son (Cruise), an unabashed misogynist and a motivational speaker. All of their faiths will intertwine in strange ways, forcing them to face their biggest fears and best kept secrets.
Jessica Alba: I don't want to be stay-at-home mom
