A 1999 drama film that followed the lives of six different characters of the course of 180mins of film. In terms of plot and length it was quite a risky film for Paul Thomas Anderson to create but the critics fell in love with the film and its ensemble cast. Tom Cruise was the only one to be nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and he actually won that category at the Golden Globes.
The film opens with a narrator recounting three factual instances of pure coincidence and asks us to consider the role of chance in our lives. We follow many key characters who are all going through rather tough times in their lives whether it be terminal illness themselves or for a relative, drug addiction, losing your job or struggling on a TV gameshow.
A sprawling drama all set in one small metropolitan area of Los Angeles is excellently crafted, Anderson takes us through the tough lives people lead as they all share the relative highs and lows. The acting itself is what elevates this movie to another level, John C. Reilly taking on a different type of role to what he had previously and succeeding. Tom Cruise adds a dose of almost dark comedy as he plays a narcissist who is peddling a pick-up artist self-help course to men, his on-stage speeches are truly legendary and a clever satire on the many self-help courses out there today.
Leaving logic at the door as the film slides into a deep melodrama and onwards to the edge of reality as the stories all come to a head in an almost bizarre climax. All of these threads converge, in one way or another, upon an event there is no way for the audience to anticipate. This event is not "cheating," as some critics have argued, because the prologue fully prepares the way for it, as do some subtle references to Exodus.
3/4 Deeply impressive but slightly overdone film
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