Magnolia is a 1999 American drama film, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It interweaves nine separate yet connected storylines, about the interactions among several people during one day in the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles, California. The film was distributed by New Line Cinema.

Magnolia was a critical and commercial success in 1999. Of the ensemble cast, Tom Cruise was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, and won the award in the same category at the Golden Globes of 2000.

Ex-con Paul is desperately trying to keep his business, A to Z Decorators, afloat. His workmates are fellow ex-prisoners - the volatile Terry and bookish ex-drug addict Dino - and their clients aren't exactly big time. As the cheques start bouncing and the debts pile up, Paul's wife Sheila wants him to give up and take a paid job with previous employers, the notorious King brothers, but Paul refuses to abandon his colleagues. Two potential contracts stand between them and oblivion. But one depends on Paul winning over Gregg, the obnoxious, racist site manager of the dodgy Hag Moor Estate; and the other, a potentially lucrative maintenance contract at the luxury private Willows estate, seems to have been sewn up already by the King brothers. As Terry finishes up at The Golden Hours Retirement Home and Dino is dispatched to clean up after his last job after complaints from the tyrannical Roger Forsyth, Paul puts his best efforts into securing the company's future. Terry's brother Ed has just got a job as security guard at the Willows and Paul pays him a visit, hoping he can help him get his foot in the door. He also persuades Sheila to accompany him on a visit to the local Indian restaurant to wine and dine Gregg, but he's unable to ignore Gregg's loathsome behaviour and the evening ends in disaster. With the cheque from Golden Hours bouncing, Dino distracted by a burgeoning relationship with Roger's downtrodden wife Marjorie, and Gregg last seen face-down in a plate of curry, is it all over for A to Z Decorators? Written by Anonymous

24 hours in L.A.; it's raining cats and dogs. Two parallel and intercut stories dramatize men about to die: both are estranged from a grown child, both want to make contact, and neither child wants anything to do with dad. Earl Partridge's son is a charismatic misogynist; Jimmy Gator's daughter is a cokehead and waif. A mild and caring nurse intercedes for Earl, reaching the son; a prayerful and upright beat cop meets the daughter, is attracted to her, and leads her toward a new calm. Meanwhile, guilt consumes Earl's young wife, while two whiz kids, one grown and a loser and the other young and pressured, face their situations. The weather, too, is quirky. Written by

The coincidence in this movie is not apparent. Rather, I believe this movie is about choice- and the where and when this reality manifests itself. Throughout the film, we are introduced to characters both young and old, perhaps only sharing emptiness among them. Through the variety especially in age of characters, the movie presents choice in its three forms- present, past, and future- making present choices, choices already made, and setting ourselves up to make choices in the future. The movie emphasizes choices made over the other two. We witness two men, who have nothing else in common aside from their expected and imminent deaths, regress painfully over wretched pasts- results of pathetic choices. Furthermore, the movie affirms the eminence of present choices through a young prodigy displayed on a game show. Will he too one day regret his past decisions? Our prophetic cop indirectly divulges his personal secret to making unknown future decisions- morality. Written by Aaron Baum

In the style of Ripley's Believe It Or Not, coincidence has played a part in three bizarre deaths during the past century... Jimmy Gator has hosted the popular quiz show "What Do Kids Know?" in Los Angeles for over 30 years. Stanley is the brightest of the three kids currently reigning on the show. Jimmy is estranged from his daughter, Claudia. Living in her cheap apartment, Claudia is hooked on cocaine. Donnie Smith had been a famous whiz kid on Jimmy's show decades ago. Since being hit by lightning, he does promotional work for the Solomon Bros. appliance store and dreams of getting an expensive set of braces for his teeth. Frank Mackey is a very successful motivational speaker. His aggressive seminar on dating, "Seduce and Destroy", is well attended by frustrated bachelors. Officer Kurring answers a call at a woman's apartment and finds a corpse in her closet. Affluent producer Earl Partridge is bedridden and dying of cancer. His beautiful wife Linda married him for his money... The quiz show kids are close to setting an all-time record; Stanley feels the pressure from his father. Jimmy has learned that he has cancer and only two months to live. Officer Kurring arrives at an apartment where neighbours have complained about the noise; Claudia opens the door. Earl asks Phil, his nurse, to contact his estranged son; the younger Partridge now uses the name Frank Mackey... Written by David Woodfield

The film begins with a narrator (Ricky Jay) telling us three separate stories based on the theme of coincidence. From there, we meet 9 characters whose lives are all connected in one way or another. We follow them all over the course of one day and watch their lives change forever. Written by John Reeler