The final shot in this film gets me every time. It's that last split second where she looks into the camera and smiles, and we get a glimpse into the possibility of a brighter, more hopeful future for all of these terribly broken people. Absolutely love it!
Bryan Lomax Movie Talk I see that smile as a sadistic one and I fear for both of these characters. He a Chistian man who has not dated since his wife left him 3 years prior and trying to save her and putting her on a pedestal when the reality is she is an adult survivor of sexual abuse who is also an addict and who was being supported by her abuser father who has cancer and was going to kill himself after admitting to his wife that he molested their daughter while drunk when she was young I think her for years and years. I think these characters represent false hope as they both have not forgiven themselves or love themselves.
I couldn't have said this better. Claudia s character was the one I was rooting for the most in this film - for her to be able to experience hope and love. Drug addiction is not easy to overcome, and even though she had a long road in front of her, that smile gave me hope she was gonna be okay.
"I just wanted to come here… To come here and say something. Say something important. Something that you said. You said we should say things and do things. Not lie, not keep things back. These are the things that tear people up. Well, I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna do what you said, Claudia. I can't let this go. I can't let you go. Now, you… You listen to me now. You're a good person. A good, beautiful person, and I won't let you walk out on me. I won't let you say those things. Those things about how stupid you are and this and that. I won't stand for that. You want to be with me, then you be with me. You see?" *-Magnolia, 1999*
I was already starting to cry and I thank you for getting me the rest of the way there. 😢🥰😉 This movie and these songs always make me so sad and also so happy. At the same time.
@@markwoollon Yes, but no. OUATIA is a fascinating film, but it essentially makes the "Jimmy Gator" character the star. And the smile at the end of it is one of oblivion.
@@chrisotto8370 Even if you think the characters in OUATIA are shallower than the ones in Magnolia, the themes are vastly different I think De Niro's character is so different from not only Gator but every other character in Magnolia, it's irresponsible to make such an offhand comparison
I like how we, just like Claudia, can't hear everything Jim says, just some keywords pop out through the song. Just like in real life when somebody comforts you, you only hear the words that sound the most soothing.. The song makes us perceive exactly what Claudia is perceiving and makes us feel exactly how she's feeling at that moment. When she finally looks in the camera you feel a connection with the character that's so profound i cannot think of another example like this in any movie. Magic!
Breaking the 4th wall at the ending is daring, and PTA pulled it off better than anyone I've seen since. Melora Walters is just the perfect actress for this part - so vanity-free and so achingly vulnerable. She gets overlooked a lot, but - goddamn, she is brilliant here.
This is undeniably one of the greatest american films of the 20th century. I think it's an uncompromising classic, and it's the kind of film a director can only make once in his/her lifetime. Everything about this film is perfect. The scene where they are all singing in sync, the frogs, the ridiculous chance/coincidence of it all - it demonstrates what an artist can create when he has full creative control of every aspect of the film. I love you PTA, this is his best and my favourite film I think
+callum shepherd A lot of people get turned off by the ridiculous frog rain. I always saw it exactly as you described - a piece of fiction that is entirely a construct of fiction. It was even foreshadowed in the opening of the movie. Magnolia is truly a masterpiece.
+poontang3zizo First time I see it I HATED the frogs scene. But, it's totally relevant to the whole randomness of the whole film. You're right - it's a construct of fiction which digs beneath the surface and explores themes of guilt, regret, love, parental neglect and all sorts. It's such a gift from PTA - I see it in 35mm in the cinema for the first time Thursday.... wow, it just monumental
It doesn't matter what he is saying. The important thing to her is that he is there at all. To her she doesn't deserve it. So we hear from her perspective, and we can barely hear what he is saying, but just enough to get what is registering with her. But it doesn't matter to her. It's all about him just being there for her. And then probably the first smile we see from her in the whole movie is to us - to let us know everything is now going to be okay. If another director would have done this, it would've felt just like a cool move on the director's part. But in his hands and because we know we are in good hands, it is the best possible way to end this movie.
At the very end, when Claudia suddenly looks up at the camera and smiles, I always tear up: for in that moment we realize Claudia might just make it after all, against the odds. It is a smile of tentative hope, breaking through despair as the sunlight breaks through a cluster of endless winter clouds. And Claudia's hope is our hope: for we are all burdened with our own demons, and we all need to know there's sunlight beyond those clouds; so this moment is an inspiration to me (thanks Paul).
I will never forget the first time I watched this movie. Found the blu Ray at a Barnes and noble for 12$. It was the only PTA movie I had not seen at the time. I got home late that night but I had to watch it. PTA is my favorite director and finally getting a chance to see a movie of his that I'd never seen before had me so excited I couldn't wait for another day. I started it a little after midnight and for the next 3 hours and 8 mins I didn't move, I don't even think I blinked. When she smiles at the end with that song, immediately I knew it was my favorite movie of all time. If someone asked me why I love movies so much my answer would just be Magnolia.
Ruby Night ...yeah, same here.. I had 4 shocks. /BRAZIL ( T. Gillian) ,/ FIGHT CLUB ( David Fincher)../ MAGNOLIA.../ INCENDIES (GILLES VILLENEUVE)/ THEY ARE THE PHILOSO/ PSYCHO/ SOCIETAL resume of our World/// short cut to any P.H.D. IF you did not see " incendies", please, don't try to enquire, no trailer, no spoiler. ..please just watch....Raw..
Ruby Night I feel the exact same way. I've always been a P.T. Anderson fan, love all his movies and have seen most of them, yet for some cosmic reason I'd never had the chance to watch the acclaimed 'Magnolia' I had heard so much about. Years passed and just recently last Saturday night I decided to watch it and after not being able to find it anywhere I just watched it bootleg streaming on some site, despite the Pakistani subtitles it was great quality. Granted I still really had no idea what this movie was about. I knew it rained frogs and the actors involved but that was pretty much it. As I watched I became enthralled and shocked at how much it mirrored my life and the situations I'm currently dealing with. A movie about random chance and coincidence, how whether or not these events taking place are just "one of those things" or something greater. After dealing with a heroin addiction for 5 years, after watching my grandma, my best friend in this world having to go through the exact same thing Frank Partridge went through as far as hospice, the liquid morphine etc. having the same type of relationship most of the characters in the movie have with their fathers, and after feeling like most of the characters feel in this movie for the longest time i.e; "the goddamn regret" I was fucking blown away. I'm a huge movie buff and I'm the first to cry at a sad one, however this film had me catatonic for several moments after the credits rolled. I was speechless and filled with so many emotions. Why did it take me this long to see this movie. Why did I decide to watch it at this point in my life after being unsuccessful finding a movie scrolling through hbogo and Netflix. I'm a huge believer in the whole 'everything happens for a reason' philosophy, karma all that good stuff. And it is this humble youtubers opinion that me deciding to watch this randomly on a Saturday night was most certainly not just 'one of those things'. This movie came to me when I needed it the most, and not any sooner. This movie restored my faith in myself and my passion of my career which is being a stand up comedian. This movie has inspired me to create more than ever before. This movie quite simply, saved me.
@@zobielamouche1 yeah really, shut the fuck up tbh. grow up. why do you care. it’s a beautiful thing, like idk the grand canyon. it makes a lot of people cry. hrsus fucking christ
Sometimes a person can never be forgiven. Example: Caught my ex spouse with another. My son and I walked in on her. I met someone new last week. The beauty is that I know I will be happy.
What a ride... After watching and feeling and living the film for over three hours, seeing people getting to the very ends of themselves, then judgement, then grace, then healing, and then: in that last split second the film watch me back... With a smile, defenseless, open, and maybe I get it: "This is for you too".
Such a good point. Obviously, this film is PTA's master had, but 80% of this movie is built around her songs. And then Jon Brion's devastating perfect score fills in the gaps.
Without the music, this could have been a ridiculous mess. Luckily, PTA knew that and framed the film perfectly so the music is inseparable from the characters. @@chrisotto8370
I married my Claudia and the end scene resonates with me in a way that every time I watch it, I weep. So poignant, hopeful and perfect. We saved each other, though. As is the point of the ending because you see her hope, the beginning of something beautiful.
Bravo. I spent 10 years and had two children with my Claudia. Her addiction and her past got the better of her - and our relationship - in the end. Now it's just the kids and I and I mourn for what we had, briefly, nearly every day.
This is one of my favorite closing shots. I love her reaction to what he tells her, and just when you think it can't get any better, we get that beautiful smile. I love that they ended Magnolia with this scene.
The last time I watched this film I got half way through and thought to myself “why do I even like this film!?... it’s so depressing!!!” Then I got to this scene... and I remembered. One of the best movie endings of all time.
I just love how the lyrics of this song get mixed up with what Reilly's character is saying. You can't quite hear every word but you get the message. It's like the song represents Claudia's emotions that are slowly taking over everything else and when she looks up, straight to the camera, the movie kind of breaks up. This is a wonderfully transcendental ending.
I feel that Magnolia is one of the most underrated movies of all time. It truly is a masterpiece. It's so ambitious and epic, but not in the usual sense. The ambition and epic feeling come from the themes and emotions on screen. It is transcendent. The ending is absolutely perfect, one of the best of all time. It is so uplifting to see that smile. It fills me with happiness every time and I still tear up watching it.
I'm glad this film affects others the same way it affected me. I was unemployed, but with money in the bank and absolutely no purpose when I saw this film and it got in my guts. I had to see it two more times to process all the feelings I had watching it. And I do agree that his dialogue is unimportant in that we KNOW what he'd say anyway. Her smile is the thing that the film builds towards.
thanks paul thomas anderson for this. loved this movie and all the characters. I must say tom cruise's work on this one is brilliant, memorable. and this ending is so beautiful and encouraging (I kinda fell in love with reilly's character). everyone should see "Magnolia". and i mean it !
Truly amazing. I have really loved that ending, her acting was brilliant. The soundtrack, the screenplay.. Acting of anyone in the film through 3 hours straight was breathtaking. 10/10
Amazing ending to a wonderful film. When I recommend this movie to people they ask me what it's about. I tell them it's hard to explain but in the end it's a very strange, yet beautiful love story.
I just watched that scene for the first time in about 2 years and the smile still makes me tear up. It's the only real smile she gives in the whole movie. That's what gets me. It's like she feels good for the first time in a long, long time...
Genius bit of bookending: PTA’s first idea for this film was Melora Waters crying and smiling, and the film ends with her character smiling and crying.
@@TarkovskyTarr Not just because it’s better, but I had high hopes for Magnolia, and it’s a mess. Certain scenes like Stanley being pressured to answer quiz question and him refusing and Claudia screaming at her father (justifiably) are just unwatchable.
It's my favorite ending scene ever. When i think perfect ending of movie, Always think this scene first. when she smile at the straight. so perfect that spurring emotion something can't elusive
I think that this film is one of the five best films I've ever seen. Almost every person I know who's seen it goes 'Why do you like that super-grim three hour movie?'. Each man to his own I guess, but this movie does what art is supposed to do as far as my life is concerned, which is not to escape from life, but to RE-AFFIRM that life is worth living. And that smile does just that. PTA, You're honestly the best filmmaker of your generation, and your movies have made my life better. Thanks.
Watching Claudia smile in this scene picks me up on even the worst day. The feeling that you don't have to go through life alone, and hearing that someone cares about you is so beautifully presented in this scene. PT Anderson is a very special person to me, and I would cherish a chance to tell him how much this one scene means to me let alone all of his other considerable effort. Thank you for posting this.
What I love about Magnolia? PTA simply explores relationships but I like the opening about coincendences confusing to some but it explains how real life can be sometimes. But the charator relationships I liked. I was so intrigued by Magnolia I bought the screenplay and I stil have it too. Interesting read too.
Perfect! I love how the camera pushes slowly into her face, the way the music kinda builds up, how the music is so loud it makes it difficult for you to even hear what they´re saying but that doesnt matter because its all about feeling and then to top it all with that beautiful smile that says so much! PT Anderson you are fucking genius!
Saw this movie for the first time other night. Of all the characters I related to John C Riley's very much. Just a regular guy looking for love attracted to cute, troubled girls like this that I just want to put my arms around and protect. Great scene that really evokes that emotion. The music is beautiful and perfect for it.
I think the smile has a certain ambiguity to it, it is not directed at John c Reilly, but at the audience. A meta-fictive element , making a statement about our expectations of a happy ending, Nothing is resolved , but a process.
No one else is making movies like PTA. People compare him to filmmakers such as Altman, Scorsese and Kubrick, but honestly I think PTA is one of a kind. I think he is destined to go down as one of the best writer/directors of all time. It's a shame the academy keeps largely overlooking his work.
This movie holds up a lot better than the films that won that year. It was just ahead of its time and takes a lot of reflection to really see how great a film it is. The runtime didn't help getting people to watch it.
I think it's a powerful ending. One factor that might not be obvious is the restraint in camera work: a long held shot, much longer than audiences are now used to, and only dollying in at the very end. BUT -- the way the soundtrack competes with the dialogue has always bugged me. Finishing with the song was wonderful, and you wouldn't want to have the dialogue dominant; at the same time, you couldn't have the scene with just music and no dialogue. PTA hedges his bets by trying to have both at once, but surely it doesn't quite work? Though I don't know what the alternative might be...
