Tom Cruise bagged a lot of the headlines at the time of release but time has been kind to most people in there.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is every bit as good as you would expect of him now, this film probably marking the turning point in his career whereby people started to take notice.
Philip Baker Hall is also wonderful as the dying, game show host wth a dark family secret and many a cross to bare.
Melora Walters is one of the unsung heroes of the film, brilliantly protraying the insecure, vulnerable single woman, reliant on everything else other than herself to get by. John C Reilly, playing a predictable character type for him at the time, is also likeable enough.
There are two moments of unsurpassed and absolute genius that both arrive in the second half of the film. The first, a musical sequence involving the cast of characters, is mind blowingly emotive and something that, outside of musicals, had never really been done as effectively before. The final moment of genius arrives at the climax of the film and for want of not giving away any spoilers, suffice to say a change in the weather should be enough of a clue, this is one of "those" moments in cinema that truly takes your breath away for its originality and its creativity.
The experience as a whole (if you like it of course) is one that leaves you breathless and in awe. That PTA hasn't quite lived up to the promise of Boogie Nights and Magnolia (for me personally) is not really too much of a surprise. Has Tarantino lived up to the promise of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction?
If you've not seen this, for gods sake find a copy and watch it. It truly is one of the last GREAT films of the 20th century.
Ribbit.
Unsurprisingly, I rated this movie 5 out of 5!
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