Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Magnolia

 Magnolia
type
TVTItem
 Magnolia
label
Magnolia
 Magnolia
page
Magnolia
 Magnolia
comment
Magnolia is a 1999 drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson about dysfunctional people in Los Angeles, partly inspired by the songs of Aimee Mann. The film is known for focusing on a large number of characters through a series of interlocking stories, being over three hours long, having possibly the most non-sequitur third-act twist of all time, and getting Tom Cruise an Academy Award nomination.The All-Star Cast includes Cruise (Frank T.J. Mackey, producer of really sleazy pick-up-artist tapes), John C. Reilly (Jim, a kindly LAPD beat cop), Jason Robards in his last role (Earl Partridge, dying of cancer), Julianne Moore (Earl's wife Linda), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Earl's hospice nurse Phil), Philip Baker Hall (Jimmy Gator, host of TV children's quiz show "What Do Kids Know?", which is produced by Earl Partridge), Melora Walters (Claudia, Jimmy's troubled daughter), William H. Macy (Donnie Smith, former champion of the show 30 years ago), and Jeremy Blackman (Stanley Spector, current champion of the show).A 30-year-old Patton Oswalt appears as Delmer the blackjack dealer in one of the opening vignettes.The title refers to the flower, which has many petals going off in different directions, but which are all connected in the back.Character tropes go on to the Characters Sheet.
 Magnolia
fetched
2024-01-31T02:15:44Z
 Magnolia
parsed
2024-01-31T02:15:44Z
 Magnolia
processingComment
Dropped link to EndsWithASmile: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Magnolia
processingUnknown
Ends with a Smile
 Magnolia
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Magnolia / int_11e0d645
type
Arc Symbol
 Magnolia / int_11e0d645
comment
Arc Symbol: Almost every location contains at least one picture or painting of a magnolia.
 Magnolia / int_11e0d645
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_11e0d645
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_11e0d645
 Magnolia / int_127fc252
type
Creator Cameo
 Magnolia / int_127fc252
comment
Creator Cameo: P.T. Anderson is a member of the "What Do Kids Know?" crew. He can be seen immediately after the start of the show confiscating an "Exodus 8:2" sign from a member of the audience.
 Magnolia / int_127fc252
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_127fc252
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_127fc252
 Magnolia / int_12a59731
type
Goodbye, Cruel World!
 Magnolia / int_12a59731
comment
Goodbye, Cruel World!: In the prologue, the boy committing suicide by jumping off a building had a suicide letter in his pocket.
 Magnolia / int_12a59731
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_12a59731
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_12a59731
 Magnolia / int_12e0bb9
type
Urban Legends
 Magnolia / int_12e0bb9
comment
Urban Legends: The three anecdotes that open the movie are not true stories. Well, the first one sort of is, but in actuality the hill was called "Greenberry Hill" after the fact, when it was named after murderers Green, Berry, and Hill. The last anecdote, about the man shot while jumping off the roof of a building, was also used in Homicide: Life on the Street, and is also apparently used as a test case in criminal law classes. Also the opening segment depicts the Greenberry Hill scenario wrong: The story may have appeared in a 1911 newspaper article (as told so by the narrator), but the actual murder of Sir Godfrey and the subsequent executions of the delinquents happened back in 1678. Yet the presentation with a fake newsreel strongly implies that the events took place in or around 1911.
 Magnolia / int_12e0bb9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_12e0bb9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_12e0bb9
 Magnolia / int_13d6db18
type
One Last Smoke
 Magnolia / int_13d6db18
comment
One Last Smoke: Jimmy Gator and Earl (figuratively) opt to take a smoke before committing suicide or passing on.
 Magnolia / int_13d6db18
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_13d6db18
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_13d6db18
 Magnolia / int_1adcd502
type
Sins of Our Fathers
 Magnolia / int_1adcd502
comment
Sins of Our Fathers: Donnie quotes this passage from Exodus 20:5 when mulling over his miserable life after being wronged by his parents.
 Magnolia / int_1adcd502
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_1adcd502
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_1adcd502
 Magnolia / int_1b65dfad
type
The Cameo
 Magnolia / int_1b65dfad
comment
The Cameo: Alfred Molina has one scene as Solomon, Donnie's irritated boss. Porn star Veronica Hart is one of the dental hygienists taking molds of Donnie's teeth. Thomas Jane, who had a big part in Boogie Nights, appears as young Jimmy Gator in the old game show footage. Mariam Margolyes appears in one of the prologues as the mother who accidentally shoots her son in convoluted circumstances. She was actually annoyed that her appearance was pared down to such brevity as her career as a Hollywood character actress had recently taken off, and she asked not to be credited at all.
 Magnolia / int_1b65dfad
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_1b65dfad
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_1b65dfad
 Magnolia / int_20a14df0
type
Wrong Genre Savvy
 Magnolia / int_20a14df0
comment
Wrong Genre Savvy: Jim narrates to himself like he is participating in an episode of COPS.
 Magnolia / int_20a14df0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_20a14df0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_20a14df0
 Magnolia / int_23698fa8
type
Aborted Arc
 Magnolia / int_23698fa8
comment
Aborted Arc: The murder of the guy that Officer Jim finds in the closet is forgotten after a while. (In the script, the murderer is "The Worm", son of the woman and father to the little rapping boy. Orlando Jones played the part, but those scenes were cut from a movie that was already three hours long, and Jones appears only as the mysterious hooded figure that Jim chases in the rain.)
 Magnolia / int_23698fa8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_23698fa8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_23698fa8
 Magnolia / int_2439b588
type
As the Good Book Says...
 Magnolia / int_2439b588
comment
As the Good Book Says...: The arc numbers 8 and 2 appear throughout the film. They refer to Exodus 8:2, in which God calls the plague of frogs against Egypt. The film climaxes with just such a plague falling over Los Angeles. Also contains a subversion with the line "And the book says, we may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us," spoken by multiple characters. The book in question is not the Bible, but The Natural History of Nonsense, a 1946 anti-superstition book by English professor and game-show host Dr. Bergen Evans. When first we see Stanley in the library simultaneously contemplating multiple books, The Natural History of Nonsense is among them; it is in the center-right, and has a blue cover. (Perhaps on the big screen — or in HD — the book's appearance is not as difficult to discern.) Reportedly, director P.T. Anderson was unaware that the story of frogs falling from the sky is in the Bible (he took it from Charles Fort's writing) when he wrote the screenplay. The Bible story of the plague of frogs was brought to his attention by Henry Gibson prior to filming. After he became aware of the story, Anderson worked references to Exodus 8:2 into the movie.
 Magnolia / int_2439b588
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_2439b588
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_2439b588
 Magnolia / int_26ea11ed
type
Mysterious Parent
 Magnolia / int_26ea11ed
comment
Mysterious Parent: Inverted. Dying television producer Earl Partridge is looking for his long-lost son. It turns out to be Frank T. J. Mackey.
 Magnolia / int_26ea11ed
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_26ea11ed
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_26ea11ed
 Magnolia / int_281de59f
type
Extremely Short Timespan
 Magnolia / int_281de59f
comment
Extremely Short Timespan: The film focuses on a group of intersecting characters in the span of a day.
 Magnolia / int_281de59f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_281de59f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_281de59f
 Magnolia / int_2de02182
type
Visual Title Drop
 Magnolia / int_2de02182
comment
Visual Title Drop: Right before the rain of frogs, Claudia (in a cab) and Rose can be seen crossing Magnolia Avenue in downtown LA, going in opposite directions. That same intersection is where the Exodus 8:2 ad lights up right after the rain stops, and where Donnie makes the U-turn back to the store as Linda's ambulance zooms past.
 Magnolia / int_2de02182
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_2de02182
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_2de02182
 Magnolia / int_3322dd48
type
Hollywood Law
 Magnolia / int_3322dd48
comment
Hollywood Law: In-universe: in the urban legend about the son shot by his mother while leaping from the roof in a suicide attempt, the narrator says that the mother was charged with murder. However, without the requisite intent, the appropriate charge would be manslaughter.
 Magnolia / int_3322dd48
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_3322dd48
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_3322dd48
 Magnolia / int_35a858b3
type
Cluster F-Bomb
 Magnolia / int_35a858b3
comment
Cluster F-Bomb: Most of the film's characters could fall under this trope (Good examples are Marcy and Claudia's beginning scenes). However, none of them can seem to reach the extent that Linda Partridge does with this trope. She says the word "fuck" in virtually every scene she's in, and it's usually never uttered just once.
 Magnolia / int_35a858b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_35a858b3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_35a858b3
 Magnolia / int_405f6f52
type
Recycled Soundtrack
 Magnolia / int_405f6f52
comment
Recycled Soundtrack: Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" was originally written for Jerry Maguire, and several of the other songs were meant for her album Bachelor No. 2, which was recorded before the movie but due to record-company problems not released until afterwards.
 Magnolia / int_405f6f52
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_405f6f52
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_405f6f52
 Magnolia / int_43a831db
type
Epic Tracking Shot
 Magnolia / int_43a831db
comment
Epic Tracking Shot: A hallmark of P.T. Anderson's career, here seen in a long sequence where the camera follows Stanley through the narrow, snaking hallways of the TV studio. A second long, snaking tracking shot follows the kids through the studio and out into the TV set.
 Magnolia / int_43a831db
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_43a831db
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_43a831db
 Magnolia / int_4a3e547f
type
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
 Magnolia / int_4a3e547f
comment
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: See This Is the Part Where... below. Phil Parma with his dialogue actually narrates his scene, where he is attempting to reach Frank. ("This is the part where you help me out.")
 Magnolia / int_4a3e547f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_4a3e547f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_4a3e547f
 Magnolia / int_4b1afa0d
type
Spiteful Spit
 Magnolia / int_4b1afa0d
comment
Spiteful Spit: Frank Mackey symbolically spits onto the journalist at the end of their interview as he got fed up with her poking in his Dark and Troubled Past.
 Magnolia / int_4b1afa0d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_4b1afa0d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_4b1afa0d
 Magnolia / int_52132531
type
Marriage Before Romance
 Magnolia / int_52132531
comment
Marriage Before Romance: Played for drama as Linda married her much older husband Earl purely for money, and only realises that she's genuinely fallen in love with him when he's in the final stages of cancer and too out of it for her to explain it to him. The combination of grief, and guilt over her earlier unfeeling treatment of him, drives her to a suicide attempt which ultimately fails.
 Magnolia / int_52132531
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_52132531
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_52132531
 Magnolia / int_56240281
type
Country Matters
 Magnolia / int_56240281
comment
Country Matters: We're introduced to Tom Cruise's character as he's leading a chant: "Respect the cock! Tame the cunt!"
 Magnolia / int_56240281
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_56240281
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_56240281
 Magnolia / int_582f5a70
type
This Is the Part Where...
 Magnolia / int_582f5a70
comment
This Is the Part Where...: Possibly one of the most tear-jerking examples ever, tying in neatly with our own Tropes Are Tools article.
 Magnolia / int_582f5a70
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_582f5a70
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_582f5a70
 Magnolia / int_5ce7dbb9
type
Central Theme
 Magnolia / int_5ce7dbb9
comment
Central Theme: Several themes in Magnolia include; regret, loneliness, the cost of failed relationships as a result of parents (particularly fathers), and cruelty to children and its lasting effect (particularly demonstrated by the implied sexual assault perpetrated on Claudia by Jimmy) This movie also touches upon religious themes including references from the book of Exodus and when it starts raining frogs.
 Magnolia / int_5ce7dbb9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_5ce7dbb9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_5ce7dbb9
 Magnolia / int_61814b8f
type
Jukebox Musical
 Magnolia / int_61814b8f
comment
Jukebox Musical: Sort of. Actually only has one musical number.
 Magnolia / int_61814b8f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_61814b8f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_61814b8f
 Magnolia / int_6d332aea
type
Driven to Suicide
 Magnolia / int_6d332aea
comment
Driven to Suicide: The boy in the prologue, as well as Linda, who couldn't bear the guilt about her infidelity.
 Magnolia / int_6d332aea
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_6d332aea
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_6d332aea
 Magnolia / int_7d34f23a
type
Reckless Gun Usage
 Magnolia / int_7d34f23a
comment
Reckless Gun Usage: The mother with the rifle in the prologue who is killing her son thanks to this trope.
 Magnolia / int_7d34f23a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_7d34f23a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_7d34f23a
 Magnolia / int_875615dd
type
Truth in Television
 Magnolia / int_875615dd
comment
Truth in Television: Believe it or not, frogs and other creatures raining from the sky has actually happened on more than one occasion. When a particularly heavy storm or tornado sweeps over swampland filled with frogs, it isn't that unusual for the animals to be swept up in to the air and dropped on nearby land.
 Magnolia / int_875615dd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_875615dd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_875615dd
 Magnolia / int_8e20ae0d
type
Child Prodigy
 Magnolia / int_8e20ae0d
comment
Child Prodigy: Stanley Spector. Donnie Smith was once this, but is now an Ineffectual Loner.
 Magnolia / int_8e20ae0d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_8e20ae0d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_8e20ae0d
 Magnolia / int_9203bf6
type
Arc Number
 Magnolia / int_9203bf6
comment
Arc Number: The numbers 8 and 2 often in conjunction, leading to a quote of Exodus 8:2 and the plague of frogs it describes.
 Magnolia / int_9203bf6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_9203bf6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_9203bf6
 Magnolia / int_9421aa41
type
Flipping the Table
 Magnolia / int_9421aa41
comment
Flipping the Table: Frank does this on-stage in anger over the interview he just came out of.
 Magnolia / int_9421aa41
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_9421aa41
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_9421aa41
 Magnolia / int_96a33f11
type
Riddle for the Ages
 Magnolia / int_96a33f11
comment
Riddle for the Ages: It's never definitively stated if Jimmy really did sexually abuse Claudia or not.
 Magnolia / int_96a33f11
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_96a33f11
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_96a33f11
 Magnolia / int_9830549e
type
He-Man Woman Hater
 Magnolia / int_9830549e
comment
He-Man Woman Hater: Frank T.J. Mackey. "Respect… the cock! Tame… the cunt!" Eventually revealed to be something of a subversion. Mackey's real hatred is for his father (and himself, in that he loves and leaves them just as his father did), and part of the reason he treats women poorly is because he can't stand the thought of getting close enough to one that he'd love them the way he loved his mother.
 Magnolia / int_9830549e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_9830549e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_9830549e
 Magnolia / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Magnolia / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: An ad by a bus stop that says only "Exodus 8:2" ("If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country.") lights up right before the transition to the final act.
 Magnolia / int_9d12bbc1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_9d12bbc1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_9d12bbc1
 Magnolia / int_9f62723d
type
Get Out!
 Magnolia / int_9f62723d
comment
Get Out!: A very dramatic incidence of this when Claudia screamingly evicts her estranged father from her apartment who came to tell her about his terminal cancer. Her overreaction is puzzling until we learn that she was molested by her father when she was young.
 Magnolia / int_9f62723d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_9f62723d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_9f62723d
 Magnolia / int_9fe18440
type
Whip Pan
 Magnolia / int_9fe18440
comment
Whip Pan: It's used to great effect in the trailer. The actual movie uses it in the scene where Phil and Earl are introduced.
 Magnolia / int_9fe18440
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_9fe18440
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_9fe18440
 Magnolia / int_aca54dad
type
Discreet Drink Disposal
 Magnolia / int_aca54dad
comment
Discreet Drink Disposal: Jim praises Claudia's coffee only to dump the content of his cup into the sink while she is not looking.
 Magnolia / int_aca54dad
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_aca54dad
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_aca54dad
 Magnolia / int_aec19d54
type
Hyperlink Story
 Magnolia / int_aec19d54
comment
Hyperlink Story: All the characters link together in one way or another. The end credits to "What Do Kids Know" reveal that Earl Partridge is the producer of the show.
 Magnolia / int_aec19d54
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_aec19d54
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_aec19d54
 Magnolia / int_b11ac9f5
type
Abusive Parents
 Magnolia / int_b11ac9f5
comment
Abusive Parents: One of the themes of the movie. Earl Partridge, who abandoned his wife and son. Donnie Smith's parents used the money he earned during his time in What Do Kids Know? Jimmy Gator quite likely molested his daughter Claudia, though it's hard to say with certainty. She's a drug addict, which could be her response to such an event, or warped her memory into believing it. When confronted, however, his only reply is an apparently sincere claim that he doesn't remember, which is frightening on its own. Also noted is his invasion of her bedroom earlier in the movie. This gives the sense that he is dismissive of personal space and thinks himself entitled to his daughter's time at the drop of a hat, even though he knows of his status as a possibly-still-dangerous abuser in her mind. Rick Spector constantly forces, manipulates, and guilt-trips his son to win. Like Donnie's parents, Rick profits from his son's efforts. The parents of the other two quiz kids.
 Magnolia / int_b11ac9f5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_b11ac9f5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_b11ac9f5
 Magnolia / int_b97c2cfb
type
Maybe Ever After
 Magnolia / int_b97c2cfb
comment
Maybe Ever After: It's not at all guaranteed that Jim and Claudia will have a successful (or even long-term) relationship, especially given her cocaine addiction. But it is fairly certain that they will try.
 Magnolia / int_b97c2cfb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_b97c2cfb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_b97c2cfb
 Magnolia / int_ba0b808e
type
Tantrum Throwing
 Magnolia / int_ba0b808e
comment
Tantrum Throwing: Stanley's father throws a chair across the room in anger over seeing his son chickening out of the one-on-one challenge.
 Magnolia / int_ba0b808e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_ba0b808e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_ba0b808e
 Magnolia / int_c04b1231
type
Jump Scare
 Magnolia / int_c04b1231
comment
Jump Scare: When the first two frogs hit the windshield of Jim's car.
 Magnolia / int_c04b1231
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_c04b1231
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_c04b1231
 Magnolia / int_c0961831
type
Interrupted Suicide
 Magnolia / int_c0961831
comment
Interrupted Suicide: Jimmy Gator attempts to shoot himself, only to be stopped by the plague of frogs. One lands on his gun, making him misfire. Linda's suicide attempt is foiled by the young boy calling the ambulance.
 Magnolia / int_c0961831
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_c0961831
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_c0961831
 Magnolia / int_c7b319ff
type
Rain of Something Unusual
 Magnolia / int_c7b319ff
comment
Rain of Something Unusual: The climax has frogs raining from the sky.
 Magnolia / int_c7b319ff
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_c7b319ff
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_c7b319ff
 Magnolia / int_c960dde7
type
Melodrama
 Magnolia / int_c960dde7
comment
Melodrama: Serious example.
 Magnolia / int_c960dde7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_c960dde7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_c960dde7
 Magnolia / int_cc5c18b6
type
Iris Out
 Magnolia / int_cc5c18b6
comment
Iris Out: The movie starts with an Iris In as part of the vintage look of the silent movie footage.
 Magnolia / int_cc5c18b6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_cc5c18b6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_cc5c18b6
 Magnolia / int_d0f0a80d
type
One-Word Title
 Magnolia / int_d0f0a80d
comment
One-Word Title: The title is Magnolia, referring to the flower, which has many petals going off in different directions, but which are all connected in the back, and the film has the characters link together in one way or another.
 Magnolia / int_d0f0a80d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_d0f0a80d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_d0f0a80d
 Magnolia / int_d6707631
type
Waxing Lyrical
 Magnolia / int_d6707631
comment
Waxing Lyrical: Several lines are quoted or paraphrased lyrics from Aimee Mann songs, the most obvious being the opening line of "Deathly":
 Magnolia / int_d6707631
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_d6707631
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_d6707631
 Magnolia / int_d73e0f7f
type
"Ray of Hope" Ending
 Magnolia / int_d73e0f7f
comment
"Ray of Hope" Ending: Happy ending isn't guaranteed for any of the characters (and might even seem unlikely for most of them), and the demise of the dying ones is a Foregone Conclusion. But the ending gives a hope that there might be a change for the better in the lives of those who survive.
 Magnolia / int_d73e0f7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_d73e0f7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_d73e0f7f
 Magnolia / int_dbb60771
type
Just Keep Driving
 Magnolia / int_dbb60771
comment
Just Keep Driving: When the frogs start falling from the sky, none of the vehicles in the movie stop driving leading to two accidents. Played particularly straight with the ambulance that goes on an on until it finally tips over. Mostly justified—Jim is driving to catch the burglar that turns out to be Donnie, Rose is racing to get to her daughter after finding out disturbing news, and of course the ambulance is rushing an OD victim to the emergency room.
 Magnolia / int_dbb60771
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_dbb60771
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_dbb60771
 Magnolia / int_dcd115e7
type
Compartment Shot
 Magnolia / int_dcd115e7
comment
Compartment Shot: Donnie's face over opening his company's safe.
 Magnolia / int_dcd115e7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_dcd115e7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_dcd115e7
 Magnolia / int_e2ccee25
type
Animal Motifs
 Magnolia / int_e2ccee25
comment
Animal Motifs: Dogs and Frank T.J. Mackey. Frank's "Seduce and Destroy" banner features an anthropomorphic wolf-man on it chasing after a cat. During his interview, Frank even starts panting like a dog to the point where Gwenovier has to get him to "heel" and sit back in his chair. This also links him to his father, Earl Partridge, who has five dogs and dog imagery scattered around his house.
 Magnolia / int_e2ccee25
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_e2ccee25
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_e2ccee25
 Magnolia / int_ec212e4d
type
Ensemble Cast
 Magnolia / int_ec212e4d
comment
Ensemble Cast: A true ensemble cast, with none of the principals getting more screen time than any of the others.
 Magnolia / int_ec212e4d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_ec212e4d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_ec212e4d
 Magnolia / int_ee7a60e9
type
One-Steve Limit
 Magnolia / int_ee7a60e9
comment
One-Steve Limit: Averted with Jim Kurring and Jimmy Gator.
 Magnolia / int_ee7a60e9
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Magnolia / int_ee7a60e9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_ee7a60e9
 Magnolia / int_f16f631d
type
Crowd Song
 Magnolia / int_f16f631d
comment
Crowd Song: "Wise Up", which manages to combine this with Lonely Piano Piece.
 Magnolia / int_f16f631d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_f16f631d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_f16f631d
 Magnolia / int_f6b2bfb7
type
Gold Digger
 Magnolia / int_f6b2bfb7
comment
Gold Digger: Linda Partridge. She married Earl for his money, but then fell in love with him... as he was dying.
 Magnolia / int_f6b2bfb7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_f6b2bfb7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_f6b2bfb7
 Magnolia / int_fe0330fb
type
Brick Joke
 Magnolia / int_fe0330fb
comment
Brick Joke: As Phil is occupied on the phone trying to get through the layers of operators to Frank T.J. Mackey, he accidentally knocks a bunch of Earl's pills on the floor, and the dogs are shown eating the pills up. Much later, near the end, we find out that one of the dogs overdosed. The small canine corpse is zipped up and wheeled out along with the larger corpse of Earl Partridge.
 Magnolia / int_fe0330fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_fe0330fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_fe0330fb
 Magnolia / int_name
type
ItemName
 Magnolia / int_name
comment
 Magnolia / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Magnolia / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Magnolia / int_name
 Magnolia / int_name
itemName
Magnolia

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 AcademyAwardForBestOriginalSong
seeAlso
Magnolia
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Accidental Murder / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Acclaimed Flop / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Arc Number / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Bonus Round / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Caretaking is Feminine / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Deleted Role / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Discreet Drink Disposal / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Ends with a Smile / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Epic Movie / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Extremely Short Timespan / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Films of 1995–1999 / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Former Child Star / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
From Entertainment to Education / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Game Show Appearance / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Get Out! / int_5a1ca92a
 Ghoulardi
seeAlso
Magnolia
 Magnolia
hasFeature
How Dare You Die on Me! / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Hyperlink Story / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Interrupted Suicide / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Leaning on the Fourth Wall / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Lemony Narrator / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Marriage Before Romance / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Maybe Ever After / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Not a Game / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Pop-Star Composer / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Potty Emergency / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Rain of Something Unusual / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
"Ray of Hope" Ending / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Repetitive Name / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Sensei for Scoundrels / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Spiteful Spit / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Straight Gay / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
This Is the Part Where... / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife / int_5a1ca92a
 Magnolia
hasFeature
Whip Pan / int_5a1ca92a