Essay, Research Paper: Magnolia And Sunset Boulevard, The Realities Of Hollywood

Hollywood is the land of fame and fortune. Tinsletown, as Hollywood is often referred to, is usually portrayed in the media as a make-believe land of fame, fortune and happiness. This myth that Hollywood has spawned since the explosion of the entertainment industry in the early nineteenth century, has led many to the promised land of Southern California. It is true that there are a few fortunate people that actually do make it to Hollywood s elite society, but what many of them encounter is a world of deceit, manipulation, and crime. There is a movie that illustrates the darker side of Hollywood. Magnolia, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is a film that breaks the myth of Hollywood and shows some of the realities that many encounter in the industry.
Magnolia, directed by Anderson, is an excellent film about the colder side of Hollywood. In this film, the visible wealth of fame, fortune, and happiness are replaced with drugs, dysfunctionalism, and deceit. There are three characters that standout in this film. Claudia (Melora Walters), Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), and Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) defy the myth of Hollywood with stories of drug addiction, crime, and deceit. The complete opposite of what many come to Hollywood for.
One of the characters in the movie, Claudia is an abusive cocaine addict. What is shown on the surface of her character is that typical of a drug addict. As the movie progresses, the audience finds out what really is behind the addiction. She is the daughter of a famous game show host who was raised in the Hollywood lifestyle. Later, it is revealed that she was sexually molested by her famous father during her childhood.
Dysfunctional activities, such as sexual molestation, do not come into your mind when you think about someone famous or their child. It makes you wonder why would someone who seemingly has everything on the outside, is so fragile on the inside.
Another character who went against the myth of Hollywood was Donnie Smith. He was a child star who became famous for his accomplishments in a game show that was ironically hosted by Claudia s father, Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker Hall). Donnie is an adult who is literally down on his luck. His irresponsibility does not allow him to hold down his mediocre job at an electronics store. Faced with financial hardship, he stoops to a new low and tries to befriend a rich, elderly homosexual male at a bar. He later steals money from the same electronics store where he was employed.
Donnie was raised as a child star. He had everything that Hollywood had to offer. One of the realities in life is failure. He was not prepared to fail as a youth and that was evident with some of the actions that he carried out later in his life. We are led to believe that he may have begun to accept his failure when he tries to restore the money that he had previously stolen from the electronics store.
Earl Partridge had seemingly achieved everything that anyone could possibly want. He had a production company that produced television programs, a loving wife, and a beautiful home. Yet, he is probably the most dysfunctional character in the film. While he is on his deathbed, he is forced to evaluate everything that he has done in his life. He reveals that he had been unfaithful to his first wife many times. He also reveals that his son is Frank Mackey (Tom Cruise), the charismatic female infomercial predator, and that his unfaithfulness during his first wife s dying days finally broke apart his relationship with his son. It was sad to see how the life that he had created by all of his previous actions burdened his soul while lying on his deathbed.
The Hollywood myth is generally an image that is believed in by many people across the world. Fancy cars, high-class parties, and luxurious estates. From all over the world, they continue to come to try to achieve the dream. The lure of Tinsletown is still strong and alive with the latest boom in the industry. The realities of the city and everything it has to offer are far more different then the myth of celebrity happiness. Tales of lies, distrust, and crime fill the dark side of the film industry. In reality, social wealth and material prosperity does not exempt a person from the everyday problems that have plagued the human race since the beginning of time. That is what makes us human.