Boogie Nights (1997)

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer (WGA):

Paul Thomas Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

10 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Everyone has one special thing

Plot:

The story of a young man's adventures in the Californian pornography industry of the 1970s and 1980s.

Plot Keywords:

1970s | Director | 1980s | Actor | Porn Industry

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 21 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Luis Guzmán	...	Maurice TT Rodriguez (as Luis Guzman)
Burt Reynolds	...	Jack Horner
Julianne Moore	...	Amber Waves
Rico Bueno	...	Hot Traxx Waiter
John C. Reilly	...	Reed Rothchild
Nicole Ari Parker	...	Becky Barnett
Don Cheadle	...	Buck Swope
Heather Graham	...	Rollergirl
Mark Wahlberg	...	Eddie Adams - Dirk Diggler
William H. Macy	...	Little Bill
Samson Barkhordarian	...	Hot Traxx Chef
Nina Hartley	...	Little Bill's Wife
Brad Braeden	...	Big Stud
Joanna Gleason	...	Dirk's Mother
Lawrence Hudd	...	Dirk's Father

Also Known As:

Pushing Thirteen (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sex scenes with explicit dialogue, nudity, drug use, language and violence.

Runtime:

155 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Japan:R-15 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:R (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Italy:VM14 | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Brazil:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Québec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) (cut) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #34763) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Gourmet Video, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Little Bill's promiscuous wife is played by real-life porn star Nina Hartley.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Dirk is recording vocals in the studio, the shadow of the boom mic is visible on the wall behind him when the camera pans to the left.

Quotes:

Jack Horner: Before you turn around, you've spent maybe 20, 25, 30 thousand dollars on a movie.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: Kiss and Tell (#1.7)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

The Touch

an odd family

Boogie Nights is full of surprises, nothing quite prepares one for it its soul. Yes, it does have soul, whilst tackling the tackiest of subject matter, with both a wry smile and respect. Brillantly cast and wonderful character development, the performances somehow combine the best of stage acting with improvisation within a cinema verite style.

The plot proved richer than I expected and the underlying themes are teased out quite profoundly as each "B grade" human being is brought, through crisis, into perspective.

A sociologist's dream case study, the film resonates the raw truth of what we all know about self-esteem, parental love and lack of it, attention/love deficit and its manifestation in adulthood, the desperate need to belong. Something for everyone here.. almost camouflaged as issues of untouchables and their separate milieu but of course they are universal.

The film works on a number of levels. The ironic loop is that the milieu portrayed exists only because of the voyeur, who happens to be watching the film...

Boogie Nights is non judgmental of its subject matter and characters, a rarity. It deserves every accolade it has achieved and more.