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Saturday January 25th 2025

Magnolia | 2000

Magnolia film location: Foxfire Room, Magnolia Boulevard, Valley Village, San Fernando Valley
Magnolia film location: Quiz Kid Donnie comes clean at the bar: Foxfire Room, Magnolia Boulevard, Valley Village, San Fernando Valley

Like Boogie Nights, the director’s previous film, Magnolia is set in the director’s own neighbourhood, the San Fernando Valley, of Burbank, North Hollywood and Van Nuys, north of Los Angeles.

‘Magnoliafan’ is the ultimate put-down for Kevin Smith afficionados, but Valley boy Paul Thomas Anderson’s daring, multi-centred drama barrels through its three-hour running time with blistering energy, carrying a clutch of career-best performances on board.

There's a brief detour to Reno, Nevada, for the opening casino scene, and to Big Bear Lake, California, for the story of the diver found in a tree.

Magnolia film location: Bryson Hotel, Wilshire Boulevard, downtown Los Angeles
Magnolia film location: the bungled suicide: Bryson Hotel, Wilshire Boulevard, downtown Los Angeles

There's a glimpse of Downtown Los Angeles itself for the nine-story building where the unsuccessful suicide of the prologue becomes a successful homicide. It's The Bryson Apartment Hotel, 2701 Wilshire Boulevard was seen also in Stephen Frears’ excellent The Grifters.

Magnolia film location: Foxfire Room, Magnolia Boulevard, Valley Village, San Fernando Valley
Magnolia film location: Quiz Kid Donnie comes clean at the bar: Foxfire Room, Magnolia Boulevard, Valley Village, San Fernando Valley

The film is named for Magnolia Boulevard, one of the Valley’s main east-west thoroughfares, on which you’ll find the bar in which one-time Quiz Kid Donnie (William H Macy) declares his love for Brad the Barman. The Foxfire Room, 12516 Magnolia Boulevard at Whitsett Avenue is in Valley Village, north of Studio City.

Magnolia film location: Foxfire Room, Magnolia Boulevard, Valley Village, San Fernando Valley
Magnolia film location: Donnie's seat in the bar: Foxfire Room, Magnolia Boulevard, Valley Village, San Fernando Valley

I found the bar to be a friendly local bar, thankfully looking almost exactly as it did in the movie.

Magnolia film location: Laurel Canyon Boulevard, North Hollywood, San Fernando Valley
Magnolia film location: the rain clears at the crossroads: Laurel Canyon Boulevard, North Hollywood, San Fernando Valley

The rain suddenly clears as Aimee Mann's Wise Up draws to a close, and many of the characters' lives intersect at a crossroads – Donnie realises what he's done and does a u-turn – supposedly 'Magnolia Boulevard' (naturally) is actually the junction of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, just north of the Captain Marvel 'Blockbuster' store.

Good-natured cop Jim Kurring (John C Reilly) is caught by the unexpected frog deluge as he drives along Reseda Boulevard.

Magnolia film location: Reseda Boulevard, Reseda, San Fernando Valley
Magnolia film location: the bungled robbery: Reseda Boulevard, Reseda, San Fernando Valley

The ‘Solomon & Solomon’ store, where Donnie works and in a moment of desperation, recklessly empties the safe, is LA Popular Alliances, 7216 Reseda Boulevard north of Sherman Way in Reseda.

Magnolia film location: Reseda Boulevard, Reseda, San Fernando Valley
Magnolia film location: the bungled robbery: Reseda Boulevard, Reseda, San Fernando Valley

During the 'rain of frogs', Kurring spots Donnie trying to climb a telegraph pole in a clumsy attempt to return the stolen money. And, yes, that pole is real, alongside the store on the side alley.