CREDITS MAGNOLIA , 2000 dir: Paul Thomas Anderson William H Macy Julianne Moore Philip Seymour Hoffman John C Reilly Tom Cruise Jason Robards Alfred Molina Henry Gibson Michael Murphy

“And it is in the humble opinion of this narrator that this is not just ‘something that happened’. This cannot be ‘one of those things’ This, please, cannot be that. And for what I would like to say, I can't. This was not just a matter of chance.”

Magnoliafan may be the ultimate put-down for Kevin Smith afficionados, but Valley boy Anderson’s daring, multi-centred drama barrels through its three-hour running time with blistering energy, carrying a clutch of career-best performances on board.

Like Boogie Nights, it’s set in the director’s own neighbourhood, the San Fernando Valley, of Burbank, North Hollywood and Van Nuys, north of LA.

There's a brief detour to Reno, Nevada, for the opening casino scene, and to Big Bear Lake, California, for the story of the diver found in a tree.

The film is named for Magnolia Boulevard, one of the Valley’s main east-west thoroughfares, on which you’ll find the bar in which one-time Quiz Kid Donnie (William H Macy) declares his love for Brad the Barman. The Foxfire Room, 12516 Magnolia Boulevard at Whitsett Avenue (tel: 818.766.1344) is in Valley Village, north of Studio City.

Good-natured cop Jim Kurring (John C Reilly) is caught by the unexpected frog deluge as he drives along Reseda Boulevard. The ‘Solomon & Solomon’ store, where he spots Donnie trying to climb a telegraph pole after the clumsy robbery, is LA Popular Alliances, 7222 Reseda Boulevard at Sherman Way in Reseda.

Magnolia location: the bungled robbery: Reseda Boulevard, Reseda

It’s in downtown LA itself that you’ll find the nine-story building where the unsuccessful suicide of the prologue becomes a successful homicide. The Bryson, 2701 Wilshire Boulevard was seen also in Stephen Frears’ excellent The Grifters.