Magnolia (1999)
Things fall down. People look up. And when it rains, it pours.
On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 17 December 1999 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Director | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| Starring | Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall and Philip Seymour Hoffman |
| Runtime | 189 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7.6 · Metacritic 78/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 82% · TMDB users 7.7/10 |
Where to watch Magnolia
Magnolia is streaming on Max ($18.49 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Max is $18.49 at list price.
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Rent or buy
You can rent or buy Magnolia on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Magnolia in 49 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Andorra | Prime Video, Max |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Max |
| Argentina | Max $9590 ARS |
| Australia | Max $15.99 AUD |
| Austria | Max €11.99 |
| Bahamas | Max |
| Barbados | Max |
| Belize | Max |
| Bolivia | Max |
| Brazil | Max R$34.90 |
| Chile | Max $9590 CLP |
| Colombia | Max $24900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Max |
| Cyprus | Max |
| Denmark | Max 129 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Max |
| Ecuador | Max $8.29 |
| El Salvador | Max |
| Finland | Max €11.99 |
| Germany | Max €11.99 |
| Greece | Max |
| Guatemala | Max |
| Guyana | Max |
| Honduras | Max |
| Iceland | Max |
| Ireland | Max |
| Israel | Max |
| Italy | Max €11.99 |
| Jamaica | Max |
| Japan | Prime Video ¥600 JPY, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Liechtenstein | Max |
| Luxembourg | Max |
| Malta | Max |
| Mexico | Max $149 MXN |
| Netherlands | Max €11.99 |
| Nicaragua | Max |
| Norway | Max 149 kr NOK |
| Panama | Max $8.29 |
| Paraguay | Max |
| Peru | Max S/35.90 |
| Spain | Prime Video €4.99, Max €10.99 |
| St. Lucia | Max |
| Sweden | Max 149 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Max CHF16.90 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Max |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | Max |
| United Kingdom | Max £9.99 GBP |
| Uruguay | Max $U399 |
| Venezuela | Max |
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What kind of watch this is
Magnolia is a 1999 drama that takes one random day in the San Fernando Valley and turns it into a sprawling, synchronized accident. Paul Thomas Anderson directs a cast that includes Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, and Philip Seymour Hoffman through 189 minutes of escalating chaos. The film refuses to let any single character dominate, instead weaving their separate crises into a single, suffocating tapestry. It is dense, loud, and unapologetically heavy. You do not watch it to relax. You watch it to feel the weight of a life compressed into a single afternoon.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes counts 82% positive reviews. Metacritic assigns it a 78, which its algorithm files under "generally favorable." The consensus praises the film’s fevered intensity, calling it an eruption of feeling that sustains itself through committed acting. Roger Ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars, urging readers to leave logic at the door. He later added it to his Great Movies list. Janet Maslin warned that the final hour sees the movie torpedo itself.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Magnolia.
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Sources
- Magnolia on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q588420 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Magnolia (film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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