Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Boogie Nights (1997) - Porn industry drama a major breakthrough for Anderson, Wahlberg

11/28/2013

Boogie Nights (1997) - Porn industry drama a major breakthrough for Anderson, Wahlberg

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+ Shooting Star Actor of the Year: Mark Wahlberg

A wealth of characters and situations are crammed into a colorful star on this fine poster for Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights

Dirk Diggler is a young man in 1970s America with a heavy quality between his legs that makes him spiral to stardom in Los Angeles' blooming porn industry. But success comes with at a prize.

Boogie Nights is written, co-produced and directed by Californian master filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight (1996)), based on his mockumentary short film, The Dirk Diggler Story (1988). It is his 2nd feature.

The film is roughly to porn what Martin Scorsese's Casino (1995) is to Vegas: A glitzy semi-fact-based chronicle. A simultaneously glamorous and sober recap of porn's explosion from low-rent smut into major dollars.
Mark Wahlberg (Three Kings (1999)) has one of his career's best parts here and gives a splendid performance in his breakthrough role as donkey dick with limited brains, Dirk Diggler/Eddie Adams (based on real-life porn legend John Holmes). The rest of the cast is so star-studded that you just have to keep watching, especially as many of them deliver outstanding supporting performances:
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda (2004)) is priceless; and so is Burt Reynolds (Deliverance (1972)) as a porn director. Julianne Moore (The Hours (2002)) is heartbreaking as a porn actress who is also a neglectful mother; and finally Heather Graham (From Hell (2001)) is sugar-sweet as Rollergirl.
Philip Baker Hall (Hard Eight), John C. Reilly (Step Brothers (2008)), William H. Macy (The Sessions (2012)), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote (2005)), Thomas Jane (The Mist (2007)) and Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)) also have enjoyable minor parts.
Photography-wise, Boogie Nights is a study in long, complicated travelings and hard contrast cuts. Fine work by cinematographer Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood (2007)).
Boogie Nights is a decadent, sexy, incredibly cast, eclectic film. A tour de force in cinematic skill and great period music. It booms with great scenes and wonderful performances, though it is arguably overlong.

Related posts:

Paul Thomas Anderson: 2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Phantom Thread (2017) - Anderson's exquisite drama of an English dressmaker and his Alma

The Master (2012) - Anderson's stunning post-war reflection

Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Sandler breaks out of his routine in Anderson's delightful romcom

1997 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Boogie Nights (1997) - Anderson's irresistible porn 'Casino'

1996 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Hard Eight (1996) - Anderson debuts with downbeat crime drama

Watch the tantalizing trailer here

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 43.1 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 2.88 times its cost)

[Boogie Nights premiered 11 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 155 minutes. Shooting took place from July - October 1996 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #19 to a 50k $ first weekend in 2 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #4 and in 1,003 theaters (different weeks), grossing 26.4 mil. $ (61.3 % of the total gross). It was nominated for 3 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Supporting Actor (Reynolds) to Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting, Supporting Actress (Moore) to Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential and Original Screenplay to Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting. It was also nominated for 2 BAFTAs, a European Film Award, won 1/2 Golden Globe nominations and a National Board of Review award, among many other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Anderson returned with 4 videos prior to his theatrical return with Magnolia (1999). Wahlberg returned in The Big Hit (1998); Reynolds in Big City Blues (1997); and Moore in Chicago Cab (1997). Boogie Nights is certified fresh at 93 % with an 8.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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