MAGNOLIA (1999) ★

Sorry everyone: this is still P. T. Anderson's best film. Swings for the fences in every scene and connects every time. Big emotions, always earned, thanks in no small part to a deep roster of talented players, nearly all of them supplying "career best" work or close to it. Aimee Mann's songs haven't lost an ounce of their potency; meanwhile, Jon Brion's agile, propulsive score does underrated work, supporting the big narrative with symphonic continuity and shape. Odd and surprising choices abound but the film never loses its human sensibility, something I can't always say about Anderson's later work. All in all, 10/10: for me, this is not just Anderson's best film, it's the last perfect film of the 20th century.