With Paul Thomas Anderson's fifth film, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, arriving on DVD this week, it seems like a perfect time to celebrate his impressive body of work. In five outings he has delivered five great films — three of which are brilliant. Often working with the same actors, Anderson tells epic stories that touch on the complexity of family and life in general. In just over a decade, he has established himself as one of the premiere directors working today, having made more than one modern classic.
In 1997, Anderson burst onto the scene with two releases. The first was actually a hold over from the year before — the mysterious drama HARD EIGHT. To quote my original review, "From the opening in the coffee shop and many of the long passages of dialogue, one gets the distinct feel that this film is riding the wave of PULP FICTION… But what distinguishes it from Quentin Tarantino’s pop-culture-infused classic is the tone." The quiet, haunting tone of this film will show up again in MAGNOLIA and BLOOD. John, played by Anderson regular John C. Reilly, is down on his luck in Vegas when the mysterious Sydney, played by Anderson regular Philip Baker Hall, comes along and offers him help. With an unsettling soundtrack of low hums rather than music, Anderson crafts uncertainty about Sydney's motivations, which keeps us entranced in the tale. What does he want from John or flirty waitress Clementine, played wonderfully by Gwyneth Paltrow? It's a mystery driven by its characters, which are all looking for redemption from dark secrets.
Redemption plays a key role in Anderson's 1997 classic BOOGIE NIGHTS as well. The epic dramedy peeks into the world porn during the late 1970s. Dirk Diggler, played in a star-making performance by Mark Wahlberg, is the rising young star of a troupe of actors for director Jack Horner, a role that revitalized Burt Reynolds' career. Dirk is shepherded along by veteran actress Amber Waves, played in a blowout performance by Julianne Moore. The 156-minute production has dozens of characters that play key roles in developing the fabric of the unusual family unit. Ironically, Anderson mixes elements from the Biblical prodigal son tale with the moral corruption themes of THE GODFATHER. As I said in my original review, "Though the film is often very funny, the story has an underlying tone of sadness, for its characters have all lost a bit of their souls living in the corrupt world of the porn industry." Like HARD EIGHT, the characters that inhabit BOOGIE NIGHTS are all looking for redemption from troubled lives. Like classic drama, greed and ego will bring many of the characters down before they return home again.
Anderson went to even greater epic scales with his next film, MAGNOLIA. Weaving dozens of characters together into a Los Angeles filled with bad fathers and the children who have suffered for it. This somber drama has signature roles for Tom Cruise as the misogynistic dating guru TJ Mackey, Jason Robards as the barely alive TV producer filled with regret, William H. Macy (another Anderson regular) as former child whiz kid Donnie Smith who has never lived up to his youthful potential, and John C. Reilly as a goodie-goodie cop who hides his ineptitudes behind religiosity and ego. As I said in my original review, as various characters' paths cross, "the parallels make it seem like life has reason, but then again things happen and our plans are changed." While Anderson deals with his usual redemption themes, there is an element of personal responsibility that works its way into the truly unexpected ending. From Aimee Mann's sad voice on the soundtrack to the somber fates of its characters, MAGNOLIA presents a sobering tale as it traverses many uncomfortable realities, but still finds the light of hope at the end of the dark tunnel it travels.
For his fourth film, Anderson broke from his epic scaled productions to make a romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler. In PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE, as Barry Egan, Sandler gives his best performance to date. Anderson breaks down the persona that Sandler has played in his mainstream movies into a good-hearted outcast who has anger management problems. As I said in my original review, "[Anderson has] stripped away the slavish adherence to sentimentality and convention, and laid bare the dark id that uncomfortably lurks underneath all of Sandler’s dimwitted comedies." Barry's seven sisters have browbeaten him since he was a boy, making him feel trapped within his own skin. Like a caged animal, sometimes he lashes out. Anderson shows once again that he has a soft spot for misfits. While not your typical romance, nor your typical comedy, we come to like Barry, warts and all, and wish him well with his sweet romance with fellow lost soul Lena (Emily Watson).
While on the surface the gold rush era THERE WILL BE BLOOD seems like the greatest departure from Anderson's previous work. However, many of his typical themes of family dynamics, redemption and outcasts come to play in the somber story of Daniel Plainview, a man determined to be the most successful oilman in the U.S. Driven by the fiery performance of Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis as Plainview, the non-traditional family theme plays out between Daniel and his adoptive son H.W. much like Jack and Dirk in BOOGIE NIGHTS. Young preacher Eli, played by Paul Dano, looks to redeem the self-imposed outcast Plainview, whose ego is so large there is no room for redemption. However, Eli has ego and ambition too, making Eli and Daniel's battle of wills fascinating. As I said in my original review, "Like a classic tragedy, it’s hubris that ultimately finishes Daniel. And like everything in his life, he builds it with his own hands." Harkening back to the unease tone of HARD EIGHT, the soundtrack haunts us as we are captivated by the grand drama and epic scope, which is Anderson's trademark.
Tell me what you think of P.T. Anderson's work. And it's that time again to either head to the video store, update the rental queue, check out Zap2It.com for TV listings or click the links below to buy these films on DVD.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
