Paul Thomas Anderson followed his acclaimed "Boogie Nights" with this bold study of a group of disparate--and desperate--characters in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. At the center of the story is dying TV producer Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), his distraught wife (Julianne Moore), and his estranged son (Tom Cruise), a motivational speaker peddling a series of pickup courses in infomercials. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, and John C. Reilly. 188 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English (SDH), Spanish; music video; video diary; TV spots; theatrical trailers.