MOVIE REVIEW: Boogie Nights (1997)

Boogie Nights, "it's about porn" is what I'm told by anyone who brings up this film in conversation. You'd think a film about the pornographic film industry would be relatively sleazy. But leave it to someone like Paul Thomas Anderson to take that sleaze to a whole other level. The characters of the porn industry in Boogie Nights are fascinating figures; this is how they lived, and I'll be damned if losing my public dignity meant such a pleasurably hedonistic life of decadence. Boogie Nights takes us into this world, drawing us in a la Scorsese with the long cuts and strongly written character exchanges. Oh, and it's late 70s/early 80s trappings are pretty awesome.

In 1977, a young runaway dropout stumbles upon Jack Horner, one of the most reputable directors in adult entertainment, while working in a Southern California disco. Intrigued by his star appeal, Horner courts the lad into his world of sex, drugs, and smut, where he takes upon the name "Dirk Diggler" and makes a smash in the pornographic mainstream, thanks to being well-endowed "down-there". As time goes on, and the money rolls in, greed runs rampant within the circle of friends as their excesses spin out of control. Needing to stay afloat in a world where he must live fast, Diggler tries to take matters into his own hands.

The great thing about a film like Boogie Nights is that the atmosphere is so strong, I found myself so entertained by the action (...other than the sex, geez!), that it made me easily forgive the greater story flaws the film had. In other words, when you think about it, there really isn't much new to the story that Boogie Nights presents, other than what I felt was your typical "rise-and-fall-from-greatness". Not to mention, with such a great ensemble cast, we're rarely given a glimpse into what their own lives are like. Sure, the film is centered around Diggler, but I thought it would have been interesting to have explored some of the supporting characters more in better detail. Still, with a film like this which excells at keeping me interested with it's strong acting and sharp dialogue, I doubt anyone will be bored with Boogie Nights, even with it's two-and-a-half-hour length.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon