Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is full of Easter eggs, and one of those is a hidden reference to Paul Thomas Anderson’s classic 1999 drama film, Magnolia. The 2022 sequel has become one of Netflix’s biggest successes and doubles down on the humor of its predecessor, Knives Out. This time, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is invited to an island owned by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) for a fun murder mystery weekend, only things get completely out of hand when there’s an actual murder on the island. Blanc is tasked with solving the murder, and everyone in attendance is a murder suspect, including Miles.
The Elon Musk-like Miles Bron is one of the movie’s most interesting characters, as he’s the person who ties all the characters and the events together. But he becomes way more interesting when it’s revealed in the final act of the movie that he’s actually a dilettante, everything he says is a malapropism, and he stole all of his great ideas. However, this was subtly revealed in a flashback way before the final act when Andi (Janelle Monáe) first introduces Miles to the Disruptors. Miles’ is dressed like a character from Magnolia, and not only is it a fun reference, but it says a lot about his character too.
Miles Bron Dresses Like Frank T.J. Mackey In The Flashback
In the flashback when Helen (Monáe) relays to Benoit how Andi, Miles, and the other Disruptors are all friends, she sets the scene in the Glass Onion bar. Andi introduces her friends to Miles, who wasn’t anyone special at the time. Miles is the best Glass Onion character simply because he’s so hilariously unlikable, and his get-up perfectly leans into this unlikability and smugness. When he introduces himself, Miles is dressed in a red shirt and a black vest, just like Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia. Miles even copies the character’s hairstyle. It also makes clear early on that Miles can’t think for himself, even when it comes to fashion.
Who Is Frank T.J. Mackey?
Frank T.J. Mackey is a pick-up artist and motivational speaker played by Tom Cruise in Magnolia. He sells himself as somebody who is irresistible to women but comes off as a complete misogynist. But more importantly, he has enough charisma and confidence that he convinces men to pay top dollar for his seminars, wherein he’ll supposedly reveal the secret of how to pick up the women of their dreams. It’s a testament to how unlikable the character is that Cruise didn’t like Magnolia’s Frank T.J. Mackey, but easily-manipulated men have a misplaced admiration for him, and Miles Bron is seemingly one of those men.
Why Was Miles Dressed Like Frank?
There are two reasons why Miles could be dressed like Frank other than it simply being an homage to the seminal 1999 movie. The first is that Frank could exist in the Glass Onion universe and that Miles visited one of his seminars. This makes sense and even explains where Miles picked up his pseudo-intellectual, condescending characteristics and his faux confidence. The second is that the character could have seen Magnolia. This makes sense too, as Miles is, as Benoit puts it, an idiot. Miles would have totally missed the point that Frank is a deeply flawed character and not a person that anybody should ever look up to.
