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Flagpole Special (1998)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Chris Penn, John C. Reilly
6.2Runtime17 min
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Commissioned for Creative Time’s RET.inevitable in 1998, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Flagpole Special is a DV short showing John C. Reilly and Chris Penn from the waist down, riffing on pickup-seminar bravado that anticipates Magnolia’s “Seduce and Destroy.” Screened once under the Brooklyn Bridge and never released, it’s now regarded as a lost film.
Critical Reception & Ratings
Flagpole Special (1998), a short film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is regarded as a lost work that was screened only once under the Brooklyn Bridge. Though its critical reception is uncertain, the film's IMDb rating of 6.2/10 suggests a mixed audience response to this experimental work that anticipated themes explored in Anderson's later feature Magnolia.
Why you might like this:
Fans of director Paul Thomas Anderson's distinctive visual style and offbeat humor will appreciate the rare, lost gem that is Flagpole Special. This 1998 short film features the exceptional chemistry between actors Chris Penn and John C. Reilly as they riff on pickup artist tropes, hinting at the thematic depth and memorable character work of Anderson's later films.