Jimmy Loves Everything – Paul Thomas Anderson Edition

Let’s be clear: I love everything, movies, comics, horror conventions, Krypto the Superdog, D-level MCU characters, obscure ‘80s sitcoms, collectible enamel pins, you name it. I'm a man who once praised Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man for its "relatable odd couple character arcs" and has two copies of Condorman (VHS and DVD is you're wondering) and the novelization of the movie.

But every sunshine-streaked sky has its clouds, and for me, that cloud is spelled with three very damning initials:

P.T.A.

That’s right, folks. Welcome to Jimmy’s Blacklist, a cinematic purgatory reserved for directors who lost my trust, broke my heart, or, in rare cases, simply bored me into righteous fury.

Let’s start with one of the biggest offenders: Paul Thomas Anderson.

When I Was In Love: Boogie Nights & Magnolia

Let me take you back to a wonderful time of naivety. I loved Boogie Nights. This was my introduction to Paul Thomas Anderson and it was glorious. The film was wild, heartfelt, gritty, funny, it was everything I wanted from a movie about the darker side of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The characters felt alive. The story had swagger and soul. And don’t get me started on that soundtrack. It was perfection.

Then Magnolia came along and somehow cranked the weird and emotional up to eleven. Frogs fell from the sky, Tom Cruise cried about his dad, and I sat there thinking, Paul Thomas Anderson is untouchable. I thought we were going to grow old together, watching quirky ensemble dramas late into the night.

But then… it happened.

Punch-Drunk Love – The Breakup

Punch-Drunk Love broke me. It wasn’t Adam Sandler’s fault. I love Adam Sandler. Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, The Wedding Singer, even Click, they’re all great in their own weird, wonderful way.

But this? This was different.

It was like PTA handed me a beautifully wrapped present and inside was… a brick. Just a boring, slow, artsy brick. I sat through it wondering what happened to the filmmaker I loved.

Where was the energy? The style? The fun?

Gone. All gone.

So I did what any heartbroken movie nerd would do: I blacklisted Paul Thomas Anderson.

There Will Be Blood – Or There Will Be Boredom?

When There Will Be Blood came out, the world lost its mind. Critics raved. Awards rained down. Daniel Day-Lewis drank everyone’s milkshake.

Me? I stayed strong. I refused to watch it in theaters. I skipped all the buzz. I was living my best PTA-free life.

But then... one day, about ten years later, it was on streaming. I caved. And wow, I regretted it immediately.

It was Punch-Drunk Love in sepia tone. Just a long, joyless, soul-sucking experience with oil and yelling. I didn’t even finish it. I shut it off and actually thanked myself for having avoided it all those years.

The Ultimate Betrayal… at Superman (of all places)

Cut to last week. I’m sitting in a dark theater waiting to watch Superman, a movie I loved by the way (you can read my full review here). Hope, heart, and Krypto? Give me more of that forever.

But before that joyous experience… the trailers came. One in particular caught my attention.

It had everything. Leonardo DiCaprio. Benicio Del Toro. Sean Penn. It looked stylish. Mysterious. Cinematic. The kind of film that grabs you by the collar and says, “You need to see me on opening night.”

One Battle After Another

And then... Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

See the trailer for yourself:

I had long forgotten that name. It meant nothing to me anymore. And then I saw the name. It felt like the ex who shows up to the party looking better than ever, and you have to pretend you don’t care while quietly panicking inside.

So now I’m stuck. Torn between my principles and my love for quirky stories.

🧠 The Struggle is Real

Yes, I know I’m being unreasonable. Yes, I know critics and fans adore There Will Be Blood as a masterpiece or whatever. Same with Phantom Thread, which I didn't even attempt to view. I don’t care. I reserve the right to carry absurd grudges across decades like they're precious family heirlooms.

Will I watch the new movie? I honestly don’t know. Will I hate myself if I love it? Not at all, because some directors do return from my purgatory. But that's a story for another time.

Because Jimmy loves everything.