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‘Magnolia’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

April 16, 2024 · Magnolia (1999) · Drama · 1:23:44

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Hanks or Cruise

Bill Simmons▶ 2:54Tom Cruise — Cruise wins this one - credits Cruise's performance in Magnolia as potentially his best ever and notes Cruise is now leading Hanks 3-1 in the category

Overacting Award

Sean Fennessey▶ 19:25Julianne Moore

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 27:18Cruz and Robards scene - Tom Cruise confronting his dying father Earl, including when he arrives saying he'll 'drop kick these fucking dogs' through his emotional breakdown
Sean Fennessey▶ 25:30Initially suggests the opening vignettes with Ricky Jay's narration, but lists several other contenders including Frank T.J. Mackey's grand entrance, Julianne Moore's pharmacy meltdown, the frog deluge, and Stanley's bathroom incident during the game show

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 36:26Melora Walters' performance and casting - he never thought she was a good actress and believes the movie's ceiling would be much higher with a better actress in that complicated role
Sean Fennessey▶ 40:07Julianne Moore's character/storyline - states he would cut her character entirely despite loving the actress

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 48:18Julianne Moore — Discusses Deborah Winger's career and work patterns, critiques Julianne Moore's actual performance as too similar to her Boogie Nights character and lacking character development
Sean Fennessey▶ 48:05Debra Winger — Lists Deborah Winger for Linda Partridge and Marlon Brando for Earl Partridge as casting what-ifs, says the movie would be better with Winger in Julianne Moore's role

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 49:00Michael Bowen — Initially considers Tom Cruise but rules him out for being in too many scenes; suggests Stanley's dad (Michael Bowen); mentions Felicity Huffman as just being good in her scenes
Sean Fennessey▶ 49:10Michael Bowen — Michael Bowen as Stanley's overbearing dad, saying he could win heat check and overacting awards

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 54:27The Tom Cruise phone number gimmick (877-TAME-HER) should have been what's most 1999 about this movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 52:09PTA and Fiona Apple bit where she play-mimes as Magnolia while PTA acts as public reaction saying 'you're working out your psychoses on everyone else's $50, I still love you, but you're no Boogie Nights'

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 55:03Michael Bowen
Sean Fennessey▶ 56:16Ricky Jay

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 57:41Aimee Mann — Aimee Mann for her solo career, also mentions Melora Walters and his mom
Sean Fennessey▶ 57:44Aimee Mann — Aimee Mann (agrees with Bill)

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:39Recites the full 'Respect the cock' speech and emphasizes 'The goddamn regret' monologue, showing strong appreciation for both
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:32Discusses multiple quotes including 'We may be through with the past, but the past is never through with us' and suggests 'Respect the cock' is probably the most memorable

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:55What's up with the frogs? - calling it the most unanswerable question they've ever had, but defending it as brilliant and thematically appropriate
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:06:18Do you think that it only rained frogs in the San Fernando Valley? Or did it rain frogs nationwide? Also what happens next questions like what do Linda and Frank talk about the next day?

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:31Tom Cruise — Cruz [Tom Cruise]
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:11:26Tom Cruise — Cruise wins

Movies Referenced (34)

Boogie Nights (1997)

15 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 2:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Babylon (2022)

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rain Man (1988)

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

There Will Be Blood (2007)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 12:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Forrest Gump (1994)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 39:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Goodfellas (1990)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 5:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joker (2019)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 10:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Risky Business (1983)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Twister (1996)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

And So It Goes (2014)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 9:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (7)

Paul Thomas Anderson

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood▶ 2:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Scorsese

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 7:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Altman

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Gosford Park▶ 7:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joel Schumacher

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Phantom of the Opera, 8MM▶ 1:13:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cameron Crowe

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky▶ 11:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ron Howard

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for A Beautiful Mind▶ 33:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Annie Hall, Deconstructing Harry▶ 1:11:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (57)

Tom Cruise

57 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 2:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Mackey

22 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 22:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Julianne Moore

18 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Far from Heaven, Boogie Nights, Magnolia▶ 3:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Melora Walters

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Dead Poets Society▶ 8:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason Robards

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for All the President's Men, Magnolia, Once Upon a Time in the West▶ 8:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John C. Reilly

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Chicago, Guardians of the Galaxy▶ 8:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Bowen

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Kill Bill: Vol. 1, The Last House on the Left▶ 49:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Henry Gibson

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for The Blues Brothers, Magnolia▶ 51:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philip Seymour Hoffman

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 8:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Patton Oswalt

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Young Adult, Ratatouille▶ 20:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William H. Macy

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Fargo, Magnolia▶ 8:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fiona Apple

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Bridesmaids▶ 43:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

Damien Chazelle

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Whiplash, La La Land, First Man▶ 1:21:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 16:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Other Guys▶ 55:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗