Melinda Dillon

In 1940s Indiana, nine-year-old Ralphie dreams of his ideal Christmas gift: a genuine Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action air rifle. But when gruff dad and doting mom regularly respond with "You'll shoot your eye out!" Ralphie mounts a full-scale Santa-begging campaign. He encounters a slew of calamities from snowsuit paralysis to the dreaded tongue-on-a-frozen-flagpole gambit.

Alan Johnson runs into his old college roommate, Charlie Fineman, on the streets of New York City. He is surprised to find that Charlie does not remember him at all. Alan later learns that Charlie is suffering with grief over the loss of his family on 9/11. Flooded with grief, Charlie quits his job and isolates himself from everyone around him. Alan attempts to help Charlie get over his grief by rekindling their friendship while Charlie. As Alan spends...

A celebration of the risk-taking, daredevil personalities of the modern rodeo. In the world of professional bull riding, newcomer Ely is the craziest guy around. His brother, Hank, is a rodeo clown, and they use each other to play up their acts. When Ely falls for the rodeo's sweetheart, Hank is filled with jealousy and hatred. The brothers try to come to grips with their differences, but the competition gets as fierce as the bulls in the ring.

Magnolia is a mosaic of American Life woven through a series of comic and poignant vignettes. Nine people will weave and warp through each other's lives on a day that builds to an unforgettable climax.