MovieChat Forums > Magnolia (2000) Discussion > This movie hurtles through it's 3 hour r...

This movie hurtles through it's 3 hour runtime.

posted 9 years ago by rallyinthestreets
15 replies | jump to latest

It's just so briskly-paced and edited that it feels much shorter than it's runtime.

In my eyes, the only part of this film that could be shortened to the benefit of the overall pace would have to be Earl Partridge's voice-over montage about how life isn't short, it's long.

The rest is golden perfection. Can't believe PTA made this massive movie in his 20s.

[–] Ckrisis 9 years ago

I thought the exact same thing. I usually dread the sit through long movies like this one, however once it ended I was shocked that over 3 hours had gone by and found myself wanting more.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lebowskithedude 9 years ago

It's like Wolf of Wall Street in that respect - the energy never stops from the first second to the last, so it feels like 2 hours instead of 3. And yes, PTA made Boogie Nights and Magnolia in his 20s, and There Will Be Blood before his 40th birthday. The definition of a prodigy.

[–] beetleborgs69 9 years ago

It would've worked better as a mini-series like it was supposed to be, instead they had to abbreviate the superhero plot and take out a lot of the more intense drama and sci-fi elements.

[–] TermlnatriX 9 years ago

In my eyes, the only part of this film that could be shortened to the benefit of the overall pace would have to be Earl Partridge's voice-over montage about how life isn't short, it's long.

It's interesting because I thought that was phenomenally done. The montage of all the characters and the VO work so well dramatically. It's not about the VO really, it's the fact for the first time we see all these characters not speaking, and we get to observe it in the most intensely objective way and ponder what we're seeing as Earl's words intensify our emotions.

:: filmschoolthrucommentaries ::

[–] rallyinthestreets 9 years ago

You make a good point.

[–] guccipix 9 years ago

I couldn't agree more. It felt more like 100 minutes to be honest.

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Open the pod bay doors, HAL.

[–] Towelie_Towel 9 years ago

Not true. Felt very long. A lot of unnecessary scenes, such as the musical moment.

[–] bigmyc04 9 years ago

WEll yeah...agreed. It hurtled through the 3 hour slog. Ultimately it achieved this in order to get nowhere fast. Period. I didn't hate everything about it, however, but this movie's tagline could've been, "Much Ado about a Nothing Ending."

"Crash" seemed to express similar ethics in much less time and in a more dramatic manner. Of course, without "Magnolia," there might be no "Crash." Well, anyhow, this movie was just silly, really. That scene with the characters singing...