Boogie Nights – Review

The Hot Traxx club in Reseda in the San Fernando Valley was bumpin’ in 1977, which is where our film opens. Maruce t.t. Rodriquez (Guzmán) welcomes porn producer Jack Horner (Reynolds) along with actress Amber Waves (Moore), leading them to their booth inside. Rodriquez offers his services in a movie, as he is ready! On the dance floor, stars Reed Rothchild (Reilly), Becky Barnett (Parker) and Buck Swope (Cheadle) all groove.

Zooming through the floor on skates is Rollergirl (Graham), who shakes her bum as she zips around. Little Bill (Macy) checks in with Jack on set and shoot timing. Watching all of these players as he is bussing tables is Eddie Adams (Wahlberg). Jack notices him and follows him into the kitchen to talk. Eddie is 17, so very young and fairly shy, but he also had a hidden attribute. Jack quickly discerns that this ‘large’ secret of Eddie’s may fit right into his porn productions.

So, who are all these people and ultimately why do we care?? Strangely enough, despite a slower plot build, the script reels in the viewer almost instantly, even for those with zero interest in adult entertainment. Crime, drugs, drama, sex, and movie making all collide in a whirlwind story of friendship, jealousy, money, relationships and deceit.

As plots continue to grow in the film, the narrative gets wilder and wilder. While it is a dramatic comedy focused on XXX films, it covers a ton of ground, thematically, plot wise and symbolically. It has a hypnotic flow that runs throughout with excellent dialogue and first-rate direction. It truly is expertly crafted, and also is full of great classic tunes. Paul Thomas Anderson films are usually mesmerizing in multiple ways, and this classic is no different.

The all-star cast drives the stellar script along, and despite being quite a long feature, it is never boring. While it has plenty of funny moments, it does also involve some dark elements, including a very fictionalized take on some actual horrific criminal events in which the real-life porn star John Holmes was involved in.

"Everyone is blessed with one special thing."