About the Site

This site will — someday, maybe, probably not — consist of 82 essays about Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 movie Magnolia.

Collectively, these writings are intended as a close reading of the film in and of itself. They will not place Magnolia in the context of Anderson’s career. They will not situate Magnolia among its cinematic forebears, similar movies of its time, or works it influenced. They will not synthesize the ideas, analysis, and words of others into a survey of critical thought about Magnolia.

About the Site Name

The name “82 Essays on Magnolia” and the domain Magnolia82.net are not a function of having 82 essays planned for this project. (Actually getting to that number is going to be a challenge!) Rather, they’re drawn from the prevalence in Magnolia of the numbers eight and two, a reference to Exodus 8:2, which is about frogs. You can learn a bit more about those numbers here and here.

About the Author

Jeff Ignatius is a writer and photographer based in Rock Island, Illinois. Find his other work at PhaseChangePhoto.com and CultureSnob.net.

He can be reached at TameHer@magnolia82.net.

About the Movie

Magnolia was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and released theatrically on December 19, 1999. It had a production budget of $37 million and made $22.5 million in the United States and $26 million in other countries. The film was nominated for three Oscars: best supporting actor (Tom Cruise), best song (“Save Me,” by Aimee Mann), and best original screenplay.

The movie was inspired by the 1997 death of Anderson’s father, Ernie Anderson. It runs three hours and eight minutes.

The filmmaker had written and directed two previous fiction features: Hard Eight (1996) and Boogie Nights (1997). Since Magnolia, he has added six more: Punch-Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), Phantom Thread (2017), and Licorice Pizza (2021).

Magnolia takes place in California’s San Fernando Valley over roughly 24 hours. At its center is the television quiz show What Do Kids Know? The movie’s main characters include the members of two TV-industry families (the Partridges and the Gators), one current and one former contestant on the show, and unrelated people whose lives intersect with theirs.

About the Images on This Site

All images are screen captures, lightly edited and brightened.