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100
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Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The kind of film I instinctively respond to. Leave logic at the door. Do not expect subdued taste and restraint, but instead a kind of operatic ecstasy.
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90
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Rolling Stone Peter Travers
One of the best movies of the year--startling, innovative, hugely funny and powerfully, courageously moving.
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88
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USA Today Mike Clark
The most imperfect of the year's best movies, Magnolia's flaws are easily forgiven because they are the result of go-for-broke ambition.
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83
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Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Anderson's big, showy flower of a movie unfurls brilliantly, each plot petal a thing of exquisite design. Then it ripens. Then it disintegrates, leaving a mess of color and a faint whiff of rot.
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80
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Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Drunk and disorderly on the pure joy of making movies. A frantic, flawed, fascinating film that is both impressive and a bit out of control, often at the same time.
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80
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Washington Post Rita Kempley
As intoxicating as the flower it's named for, and its characters, most of them as flawed and fascinating as the film itself, seem intoxicated by the overpowering scent.
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80
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The New York Times
It's astonishing to see a film begin this brilliantly only to torpedo itself in its final hour.
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75
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San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham
At times, Anderson may be too brilliant for his own good, and there is a risk that viewers will tire of the director's relentlessly prowling camera.
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75
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Boston Globe Jay Carr
Magnolia is "Short Cuts" with hope. It's my kind of mess.
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75
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Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Anderson, 29, does so much in Magnolia, with such nerve, with wily humor and out-of-the-blue bravado, that the film's flaws and lapses don't really matter. It ain't perfect, but it's awe-inspiring.
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