Free advice. See it. It's pure genius. After due consideration, and two viewings, I've decided it's not just the best film of 1999, but one of the best of all time. I haven't felt so passionate about a film in ages. And if you don't like it, don't expect me to defend it.

Not exactly a nit, but I wonder if Linda considered just giving her inheritance to charity? That should wipe her hands clean.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***
I liked this film (and the soundtrack). I do have a nit. It simply that the director needs a dictonary to look up the word "coinidence". Frogs falling from the sky like one of the plaques of Egypt is not a coinidence. Despite this flaw I loved the acting and the majority of the plots (The former kid genius is the worst plot. The bit with Curise is the best plot and I hope he finally wins his oscar.)

What do you mean, the director needs to look up the word coincidence? When it's referred to as a coincidence, that's irony on the narrator's fault. It's not simply "one of those things that happen."

I just saw it last night, and I'm curious why this film on got one Oscar nomination (for Tom Cruise, none the less). Too non-mainstream for them I guess. I loved American Beauty, but this blew it away.

It got two other nominations too - Song and Screenplay. It should have been nominated for Picture and Director, and it should have won.

Yes you are right, how silly of me to forget Best Song. Amiee Mann's Soundtrack is such an intergal part of the film, I guess I forgot about it. I think she should have gotten the Oscar for her song. And Best Director as well. It must have been nearly impossible to make and cut a film that is three and half hours long and still have it feel fast paced.

Wow! No one's posted here for almost a year. I saw this film for the first time this weekend on cable, and I loved it! I've heard the soundtrack a couple times at work when we get to play CDs and heard only good things about the film.

When I saw the first 2 frogs fall onto that car, I thought, "Oh, look. Are we gonna have a plague of frogs now?" and then there was.

What was sad about watching this film was knowing it was Jason Robards' last theatrical film. He had one TV movie afterwards.

Yeah, my roommate rented this movie a few months back. I watched it and then a few days afterwards I bought the DVD. I love it. I really like Phillipp Anderson's work. I haven't seen Hard Eight yet (his first film), I have seen and love Boogie Nights. Anderson is definitely shaping up as a first rate director.

It's not simply "one of those things that happen."

Actually it is, although it's not common. What happens is that when a tornado sweeps through a land, it picks up things like frogs and carries them off. And they gotta come down somewhere...

THat's why the young whiz kid isn't surprised and says, "This is something that happens" during that scene.

I generally dislike Tom Cruise and modern cinema, but this is one of the best movies ever.

Check out this site to better understand the movie, including all those references to 8 and 2.

http://www.cinephiles.net/discuss/messages/154/154.html?1019464832

P.T.Anderson's website contains this page, though I can't get in at the moment:
http://www.ptanderson.com/featurefilms/magnolia/secrets.htm