Top 10 P.T. Anderson Movie Moments

Dear Paul,

My first screening of your work was a fuzzy, half-scrambled video (VHS style) titled The Dirk Diggler Story. The production quality was of scrambled porn quality itself, but that is what made it great, what gave it a backbone. From that point on it was on to Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Sydney and so on and so forth. Your dialogue pierces through the screen and your clean-cut cinematography is dollied so well it makes well shot films look like child’s play. So, what have I given you in return for these many years of beautifully shown storytelling? See below a top ten list that you can consider my homage piece that shows why you, well, are The Master.

Enjoy,

Jameson

10. There Will Be Blood – "I am a Sinner" (2007)

Daniel-Day Lewis is one of the best actors of all time and it bleeds through in this scene. But since he masters this entire movie from start to finish what makes this scene so different from the others (including the one higher up on this list)? The reason is we see a full range of internalization transform into externalization. Plainview goes from a state of skeptical silence to a state of full confession within minutes. What makes this directing and acting job even greater is we, as the audience, clearly understand that Plainview is genuinely admitting this confession to his peers, but also, at the exact same time, manipulating the situation to help his own gain in the end. That is near impossible to pull off. All around great job.

9. Hard Eight (aka Sydney) – "Sydney Walks the Floor" (1996)

Also known as Hard Eight, don’t worry Paul, we all know the real title, this is the simplest looking scene on the list. Simple, though, is typically a result of mastery behind camera. Sydney’s walk of the floor is the first glimpse we get into how Anderson thoroughly enjoys a consistent camera moving (the long dollies especially). This is our cinematic foreplay we get before the famous Boogie Nights intro scene. The main takeaway from this moment is how the camera flow reflects the character of Sydney himself – smooth and always observant of his surroundings. 

8. The Master – "No Blinking" (2012)

With The Master we see some of Anderson’s most mature storytelling. While tackling a unique subject matter, Anderson and Phoenix pull off a hard objective in this scene, as the audience must be convinced that this is Freddie’s first genuine step into another world/mindset that even he is scared to explore. Freddie is a drifter. Drifters tend to externalize false strength so they cannot be seen as vulnerable and/or scared. Anderson and Phoenix capture this moment of “first time mental vulnerability” here and show that even someone as “strong” as Freddie can be mentally manipulated into something not even he can classify.

7. Magnolia – "Like Father, Like Son" (1999)

One of the best acted scenes of the 90’s, Magnolia’s “Like Father, Like Son” scene finds Frank T.J. Mackey having to confront his father on his death bed. Tom Cruise, paired with Anderson’s well-written dialogue, delivers a piercing performance of despaired love blended with genuine hatred. Cruise’s main source for pulling this off is his physical actions that show us this strange mixture of emotions he is turbulently feeling at that very moment. Again, though, this scene would be nothing without the spot-on dialogue and character development from Anderson.

6. Boogie Nights – "The Famous Steadicam Intro" (1997)

Talk about kicking it off with a bang! P.T. Anderson rolled this camera every way possible… all in one fell swoop. This one is easy; he’s just that damn good. All I can say about this movie moment making the list is “yeah, he just did that.”

5. Punch Drunk Love – "It Makes Me Stronger" (2002)

One word to describe what is conveyed here: strength. We all have a little Barry in us, scared, nervous and hesitant to make a move. We have all (hopefully) had that moment where a situation, or person, gives us the strength to conquer the world, or at least our world. In Barry’s case, Lena becomes the strength Barry needs to take control of his life. And he is probably taking control of it for the first time in his life, which is all the more reason this scene is so empowering. As Barry confronts Dean, there is not an ounce of fear in Barry’s voice and approach, and Dean knows this. This, ladies and gents, is one of the best-portrayed versions of onscreen love I have ever seen. Anderson perfectly conveys here that strength is a direct result of genuine love.

4. Cigarettes and Coffee – "The Entire Short Film" (1993)

Coming in the number four spot is one of Anderson’s original works – what I like to call his “Dynamic Duo” (The Dirk Diggler Story and Cigarettes and Coffee). This short film shows the skeleton structure of both Sydney and Magnolia and is the first piece that shows Anderson’s masterful skill of writing multiple, well thought out storylines that don’t sacrifice character development for plot structure and/or twists. This was the one that started it all for me and showed me that Anderson could devise a plot web that had profoundly put together characters who, in some form or another, had an effect on each other’s lives. 

3. There Will Be Blood – "I Drink Your Milkshake" (2007)

The top three is upon us, and what better way to welcome it by a sequence we all love. Daniel-Day Lewis showcases his natural, raw talent here with gut-wrenching acting from both him and Paul Dano. Teed up with Oscar worthy writing, this sequence is executed perfectly with a performance that we still quote today. “I drink your milkshake” is now a terrifying phrase that cannot be taken lightly and one that embodies the entire mantra of the film, but more so Daniel Plainview’s hunger for greed and expansion, both financially and territorially. 

2. Boogie Nights – "Drug Deal Gone Bad" (1997)

I have watched this film sequence more than any other sequence on this list, easily. Its quick-paced addictiveness cannot be matched; with its cocaine-covered dialogue making it nab the number two spot. I’d like to point out that Anderson pulls a big cinematic “no no” in this scene… and he could not care less. As the atmosphere heightens, we see the face of Dirk melt and the face of Eddie reappear. Anderson shows this beautifully by holding the lens on Wahlberg’s face for nearly a full minute with not cuts or shifts. It’s just Dirk/Eddie and the lens. Along with this brilliant middle finger to cinematography, Anderson includes the perfect soundtrack that includes Sister Christian, “Ricky” Springfield and Nena. Prepare to have your eyes melt with neon lit tears because like I said above, it’s just that good.

1. Magnolia – "Exodus 8:2" (1999)

Finally, the moment we have all been waiting for, the number one spot. And I will admit that this was a very tough decision, but Magnolia is one of the best-written films to ever grace the screen, as it is also impeccably acted and directed. What gives this Anderson movie moment the juice to be the king is that it brings an entire screen story universe full circle in one fell swoop by divine intervention. Quite the mouthful? Yes. Well executed? Immaculately. We see all of Anderson’s characters and stories get put on hold by the “forces that be” so that each and every one of them can stop, reevaluate and start anew. This Heavenly act is just what these characters need and must have in order to repair themselves and the relationships they each have. Enjoy this divine smiting and go forth with a new perspective on life – at least that’s what I think Anderson would like us all to take away from this scene. Oh, and as for the “Exodus 8:2” title, feel free to look it up. It’d be no fun to spoil everything here now would it? I will say, this biblical theme is threaded throughout the entire movie; you just have to look for it…