Q 01/05

Which actor plays the former child champion known as Quiz Kid Donnie Smith in Magnolia?

A) Steve Buscemi

B) William H. Macy

C) David Hyde Pierce

D) John Turturro

Answer · why

B) William H. Macy

William H. Macy got the role because the director felt he was scared of big emotional parts and wrote him a tearful one on purpose.

Q 02/05

Which star won a Golden Globe for playing charismatic self-help guru Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia?

A) Tom Cruise

B) Brad Pitt

C) Johnny Depp

D) Keanu Reeves

Answer · why

A) Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise sought out the director after admiring his previous film, and the rare supporting role also earned him an Oscar nomination.

Q 03/05

In Magnolia, which television quiz show pits child prodigies against adults under host Jimmy Gator?

A) Who's the Smartest?

B) Kids Versus Grown-Ups

C) What Do Kids Know?

D) The Whiz Kid Hour

Answer · why

C) What Do Kids Know?

What Do Kids Know? is also the show that made Donnie Smith briefly famous as a boy, decades before the day the film covers.

Q 04/05

In Magnolia, what does lovesick former quiz champion Donnie Smith plan to pay for with stolen money?

A) A nose job

B) Laser eye surgery

C) A hair transplant

D) Dental braces

Answer · why

D) Dental braces

Dental braces are his way to impress a bartender who wears them, and the scheme ends with his own teeth smashed in a fall.

Q 05/05

What does Los Angeles police officer Jim Kurring lose while chasing a suspect in Magnolia?

A) His badge

B) His gun

C) His radio

D) His handcuffs

Answer · why

B) His gun

His gun vanishes during the chase, and after the storm of frogs it simply falls back out of the sky.