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Magnolia Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
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Magnolia Trivia

Magnolia Movie Trivia Quizzes

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Things fall down. People look up. And when it rains, it pours. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, this 1999 drama has an all star cast that includes Julianne Moore, Tom Cruise, Philip Seymore Hoffman, William H. Macy and John C. Reilly. Cruise won a Golden Globe for his supporting role.
5 Magnolia quizzes and 60 Magnolia trivia questions.
1.
  Magnolia    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
"Magnolia": A masterpiece for character actors.
Easier, 10 Qns, Rehaberpro, Jun 17 13
Easier
Rehaberpro
276 plays
2.
  "Magnolia" Quiz: Beware of Falling Frogs!    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
A quiz about "Magnolia", the 1999 film written and directed by Paul T. Anderson.
Average, 20 Qns, enfranklopedia, Aug 09 05
Average
enfranklopedia
1384 plays
3.
  The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here are some simple questions about my favourite movie of all times!
Easier, 10 Qns, filmversteher, Apr 16 03
Easier
filmversteher
1212 plays
4.
  "Magnolia" Mania    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz about "Magnolia", my favorite movie of all time. Good luck! (This quiz requires some knowledge beyond the theatrical release.)
Difficult, 10 Qns, rubytuesdayy, Jun 09 13
Difficult
rubytuesdayy
819 plays
5.
  Wise Up - The "Magnolia" Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You love this movie, and think you know it by heart? Ok then, try this little quiz!
Tough, 10 Qns, barneygumble, Apr 19 04
Tough
barneygumble
1012 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What is the game show called?

From Quiz "The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz"





Magnolia Trivia Questions

1. Who was the triple threat individual who wrote, directed, and produced "Magnolia"(1999)?

From Quiz
Magnolia

Answer: Paul Thomas Anderson

Anderson is selective in his projects. In addition to "Magnolia", he displayed his talents before in "Boogie Nights" (1997) an equally remarkable endeavor. His "Hard Eight" is an undervalued gem.

2. Who wrote and directed "Magnolia"?

From Quiz The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: Paul Thomas Anderson

PTA also wrote and directed "Sydney" a.k.a. "Hard Eight" (1996), "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Punch-Drunk Love" (2002). Paul W. S. Anderson directed films like "Mortal Combat" (1995), "Event Horizon" (1997" and "Resident Evil" (2002). Wes Anderson, however, wrote and directed "Rushmore" (1998) and "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001). According to PTA, Robert Altman's "Short Cuts" (1993) influenced the making of "Magnolia".

3. What is the number of the "Seduce&Destroy" order-hotline?

From Quiz Wise Up - The "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: 1877-TAME-HER

You can see it in the commercial at the beginning of the film.

4. The film has as its centerpiece a dying man named Earl Partridge whose life either directly or indirectly affects the events in the film. What actor played Earl Partridge?

From Quiz Magnolia

Answer: Jason Robards

Jason Robards' first credited role in film was a very minor role in "Swingtime Johnny" (1943), wherein the Andrew Sisters go to work in a war plant. Slowly but surely he rose to be one of the great character actors in film. Drifting in and out of his pain-killer induced lethargy, Earl Partridge regrets his decisions during life and in his last days seeks to repair what wrongs he may have committed.

5. As the "Austin American Statesman" article states, the frog sequence at the end of the movie was not intended to have any biblical overtones at first. However, there is mention of a plague of frogs in the Bible. What is that section's citation?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Mania

Answer: Exodus 8:2

Exodus 8:2 reads, "And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs". (Note: Paul Thomas Anderson originally encountered the idea of frog rain through Charles Fort's "Book of the Damned".)

6. One of the characters in this film reveals, via his or her own dialogue, that he or she is, in fact, a homosexual. Which one?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Quiz: Beware of Falling Frogs!

Answer: Quiz Kid Donny Smith (William H. Macy)

Donny, about halfway through the film, confesses his love for Brad, a male bartender. As far as we know, none of the other characters mentioned in this question are homosexuals.

7. Which famous actor stars as a sex guru in "Magnolia"?

From Quiz The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise was awarded a Golden Globe (Best Supporting Actor) for his role. Reynolds appears in "Boogie Nights", Jackson plays a smaller role in "Sydney" - and Bob De Niro is just a fine actor!

8. In the prologue sequence in which Sydney Barringer's story is told, what is the Barringers' apartment number?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Mania

Answer: 682

This is just one of many 8:2 references throughout the film. For example, when Sydney is about to jump off the building, the ropes to the left of him are coiled in the shapes of an 8 and a 2. The hands of the clock behind Sydney when he is loading his gun point directly to the 8 and the 2.

9. There are approximately twelve major characters in this film. How many of them are afflicted with cancer?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Quiz: Beware of Falling Frogs!

Answer: 2 & two

Big Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) has both brain and lung cancer. Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker Hall) has bone cancer. That's two. (Frank T.J. Mackey's mother died of cancer over ten years prior to the events of this film, but since we never see her in the film, she's certainly not a "major character.")

10. Who plays Quiz Kid Donnie Smith?

From Quiz The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: William H. Macy

Bill Macy also stars in "Boogie Nights". He received an Academy Award for "Fargo" in 1996 - which also starred Steve Buscemi. Wahlberg plays porn star Dirk Diggler in "Boogie Nights". Jared Leto acted in modern classics like "Fight Club" and "Requiem for a Dream".

11. What is the number of officer Jim Curring's box at the dating-line?

From Quiz Wise Up - The "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: 82

12. Earl Partridge in his delirium confesses regret over his relationship with his estranged son who has changed his name to Frank T.J. Mackey. How does Mackey make a living?

From Quiz Magnolia

Answer: Giving sex advice to men

Frank T.J. Mackey, played by Tom Cruise, was the only actor in the film to earn an Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. Mackey gives seminars for men on how to seduce women. Franks's bitterness arises from his father's desertion of his mother when she was dying in order to marry Linda. Frank was left to care for his mother. Of course, Tom Cruise is one of the most popular stars of his time. His award perhaps is based on his popularity, his body of work, and a symbol of the combined efforts of the ensemble cast.

13. What time is Claudia and Jim's date?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Mania

Answer: 10:00 P.M.

Claudia proposes that she and Jim meet at 8:00. Jim cannot leave work until 10:00, so their date must be two hours later (notice the 8:2 allusion here also).

14. Frank T.J. Mackey (Tom Cruise), the mastermind of "Seduce and Destroy," uses an alias -- he is actually the son of television producer Earl Partridge (Jason Robards). What is "Frank's" real first name?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Quiz: Beware of Falling Frogs!

Answer: Jack

Earl tells his nurse, Phil Parma, that his son's name is Jack, and that Jack is better known as infomercial celebrity Frank T.J. Mackey.

15. Who's the musical genius behind most of the movie's songs, including "Save Me" and "Wise Up"?

From Quiz The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: Aimee Mann

Aimee wrote some songs for the film exclusively, some were chosen from previous records. Fiona is PTA's girlfriend, Michael Penn is Aimee's husband - both are singers/songwriters, too. Supertramp contributed "Goodbye Stranger" and "Logical Song" to "Magnolia".

16. What is Frank T.J. Mackey's original name?

From Quiz Wise Up - The "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: Jack Partridge

Mackey is the name of his mother, and Frank the name of his grandfather.

17. One of Earl Partridge's television productions was a program called "What Do Kids Know" which pitted bright children against a panel of adults. The host of that program was Jimmy Gator. What three-named actor played Gator?

From Quiz Magnolia

Answer: Philip Baker Hall

Philip Baker Hall is Jimmy Gator. Ironically, he, too, is dying of cancer. And he, too, wants to clear his conscience. He wants to unburden himself of his affairs with other women to his wife and to confess an incestuous relationship with his daughter. Hall has been seen in so many character roles in both films and television that his face may be more familiar than his name. A former English teacher, his switch to acting has lead to great success. His break-through role was in Anderson's "Hard Eight" and he appeared in both "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Magnolia" (1999).

18. "Quiz Kid" Donnie Smith's oversized check was dated the 28th of which month?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Mania

Answer: April

This check is a reminder of Donnie's childhood, during which his father forced him to compete on the "What Do Kids Know?" game show and proceeded to take whatever money his son was awarded.

19. A two-digit number appears MANY times throughout the film, in both obvious and subtle places. This number is a reference to a particular passage from the Book of Exodus in the Holy Bible. What is this two-digit number?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Quiz: Beware of Falling Frogs!

Answer: 82 & 8:2 & 8-2 & 8 2

I'm no Bible expert, but my understanding is that Exodus 8:2 refers to the plague of frogs that was unleashed upon Egypt. Fitting, given the bizarre climax of this film.

20. How much is Phil Parma's order of porn magazines, some cigarettes, etc?

From Quiz Wise Up - The "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: $31,90

Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, white bread, water and some peanut butter and cigarettes.

21. In his moments of clarity, Earl Partridge reveals to his nurse that he wants to reunite with his son, Frank T.J. Mackey. The nurse begins to make phone calls to try to make his wish happen. Who played the role of the nurse?

From Quiz Magnolia

Answer: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman shows great compassion and insight in caring for the dying Earl Partridge as well an appreciation for soft core porn. His low key persistence finds Mackey at his father's bedside in his final moments; at first cursing him - then crying at his death. Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Truman Capote in "Capote" (2005). He has been involved with several of Paul Thomas Anderson's projects. He has a long list of nominations and acting accolades. Perhaps an unappreciated role was of the double-dealing political campaign manager in "The Ides of March" (2011). All three incorrect answers are actors in the film. Melora Walters is Claudia, Jimmie Gator's sex abused and cocaine addicted daughter. Melinda Dillon is Gator's wife. Felicity Huffman is an assistant producer of Gator's TV show.

22. Where or when do we NOT see or hear the two-digit number referring to the Exodus passage?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Quiz: Beware of Falling Frogs!

Answer: In the conversation that Linda Partridge has with her lawyer

Jim Kurring's voice mail message encourages women to leave him a message at box number 82. An audience member in the stands during the taping of "What Do Kids Know?" is, inexplicably, holding up a cardboard sign reading "Exodus 8:2." And, in the prologue, when Sydney Barringer is standing on the ledge, some coiled cabling off to his left is looped into the shape of the number 82. (Check if you don't believe me!) At no time does Linda or her lawyer (played by Michael Murphy) mention the number 82.

23. What causes Sydney Barringer's death in the last part of the prologue?

From Quiz The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: He's killed by a shotgun.

Actually, Sydney attempts to commit suicide by jumping - but he is killed by a shotgun his own mother accidentally fires.

24. "Now that I've met you, would you object to never seeing each other again?" This a quote from the movie, but also the opening line of a song by Aimee Mann, which song?

From Quiz Wise Up - The "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: Deathly

In fact, Claudia says: "...never seeing me again." But I'm sure you got the right answer anyway.

25. Donnie Smith is a former television quiz kid who as an adult tries to live off his childhood fame with only temporary success. He is inept, lacks social skills, and has only a fleeting association with reality. Who played Donnie Smith?

From Quiz Magnolia

Answer: William H. Macy

Another parallel in the film is the contrast between the present 'quiz kid' and the 'quiz kid' of the past. Jeremy Blackman plays Stanley Spector, a genius child dominated by his father to only focus on the quiz program and who has no normal life outside television. His final humiliation is urinating in his pants after a producer denies him access to a bathroom in order to keep the timing of the program on schedule. Donnie Smith, a former child genius, is clumsy, eccentric, friendless, and adrift in life. He has survived by his childhood fame as a television star but that has worn thin on his employer who fires him. He blames his parents for cheating him out of the money he earned as a child, blames being struck by lightning as a cause for his failures as an adult, and believes that getting dental braces will solve all his problems. He turns to burglary as another solution but is again betrayed by his own ineptness. William F. Macy is an established character actor who has appeared in such films as "Boogie Nights" (1997), Fargo (1996), and "The Cooler" (2003).

26. When Linda goes to the pharmacy for her many medications, what is the name of the pharmacist who harasses her?

From Quiz "Magnolia" Mania

Answer: Ed Jr.

Interestingly enough, the actor who plays pharmacist Sir Edward William Godfrey (Pat Healey), who is killed in the prologue's Greenberry Hill sequence, also plays the pharmacist whose nametag reads "Ed Jr." later in the film. Coincidence? I think not!

27. What does Frank T.J. Mackey teach?

From Quiz The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: How to "Seduce & Destroy" women.

"Seduce & Destroy" is the title of Mackey's seminar. "How to Make an American Quilt" (1995) and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (2003) are movies...

28. Who performs the song "dreams", which Quiz Kid Donnie Smith is always listening to while driving?

From Quiz Wise Up - The "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: Gabrielle

29. Who is the first character to experience the frog rain - as the movie shows it?

From Quiz The Ultimate "Magnolia" Quiz

Answer: Jim Kurring

A frog falls onto his car's rooftop after he's spotted Donnie breaking into Solomon & Solomon.

30. Frequently one of the things that make a film is the music selected that may pass but fulfill a mood for a scene or a character. What is the name of the sweet-voiced singer who brings her unusual voice to the background of "Magnolia"?

From Quiz Magnolia

Answer: Aimee Mann

Near the end of the film there is a spine-chilling eerie fantasy scene. In it while Aimee Mann sings, the main characters all join in for the chorus. For instance, Jason Robards sings from his death bed and the others from their misery and locations. The song written and sang by Aimee Mann is "Wise Up". "It's not What you thought When you first began it You got What you want Now you can hardly stand it though, By now you know It's not going to stop It's not going to stop It's not going to stop 'Til you wise up"

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