This film starts out with an explicit premise: that there are some things too extraordinarily coincidental to be coincidence. But then never follows up on that premise. There are many wonderful things to be said about it. The pacing is fantastic. There is a palatable crescendo that builds the tension in your whole body. The pacing of the cuts is relentless. By the time the 2/3 point comes you are ready for an amazing collision of the well-crafted multiple plotlines. And it never comes. All I can think is that Paul Thomas Anderson couldn't figure out an ending. This film is like a Phil Collins song or an SNL bit. It's absolutely amazing and then nothing comes of it. I keep thinking of Hearts of Darkness. Coppola didn't have an ending for Apocalypse Now, so he just kept filming, hoping one would come to him. While the individual plotlines are all addressed, there is no bang. No congress between them. No coincidence. The intro is a lie. And the biblical plague of frogs finds no place in the plot. How could such an amazing start go so wrong? Performances by a huge number of actors from Boogie Nights are individually fantastic. Each of them threw themselves into their roles. As usual Julianne Moore is captivating. Worth seeing just for the 1st 2 hours of fantastic filmmaking. Just don't expect a payoff at the end. There are some nice comments about the fragility and sanctity of childhood as well.
