Magnolia

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, Magnolia is available in Australia on HBO Max, and in the UK on HBO Max Amazon Channel right now. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. Its 8/10 TMDB score, built from 4,051 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Watch it for Tom Cruise — one of the stronger performances out there right now. Available now on HBO Max — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Magnolia earns its spot. Magnolia trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story. The performances from Tom Cruise and Philip Baker Hall give it more weight than the premise alone would suggest. It hit screens in 1999. The performances in Magnolia do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Magnolia. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Tom Cruise is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.