Magnolia

Magnolia tells the story of several people in the San Fernando valley as they face their individual psychological and interpersonal issues. First is ne'er-do-well police officer Jim Kurring, who is sent to a local residence to investigate what seems to be a minor disturbance only to find a dead body in a closet. This sets off a chain of events that leads him through a web of related characters. There's Jimmy Gator, the host of a popular TV show who is dying of cancer. His wife wants to leave him due to his treatment of his daughter, and this drives Jimmy to want to commit suicide. The TV show's producer is also in poor health, and he wishes to be reunited with his estranged son, a TV infomercial pick-up artist (played by Tom Cruise) with a jaded view towards life. As the film progresses, the characters interconnected roles become more apparent as each one is drawn in by deception into a spiral of contempt.