Nine lives interweave in this emotive film. The only thing linking all of the stories is the setting (San Fernando Valley, California) and the intense feeling of emotional trauma and rebirth. Donnie Smith, one of the story’s threads, has been having much trouble of late in both his love life and professional life. Eventually he is fired by his very annoyed boss (Alfred Molina) and turns to theft and drink to drown his sorrows. Certainly not light viewing, Magnolia needs to be watched carefully and thought about deeply. Definitely a character dependant movie, the plots of the strands pale in the emotional glare of the characters presented.