Boogie Nights (1997)

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

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Stars:

Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 29 wins & 49 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Adult film director Jack Horner is always on the lookout for new talent and it's only by chance that he meets Eddie Adams who is working as a busboy in a restaurant. Eddie is young, good looking and plenty of libido to spare. Using the screen name Dirk Diggler, he quickly rises to the top of his industry winning awards year after year. Drugs and ego however come between Dirk and those around him and he soon finds that fame is fleeting.

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Plot Keywords:

porn industry | 1970s | nightclub | big penis | san fernando valley california | 

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Taglines:

The life of a dreamer, the days of a business, and the nights in between.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pushing Thirteen

Filming Locations:

16801 Encino Hills Dr., Encino, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,681,934 (USA) (2 November 1997)

Gross:

$26,400,640 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Lawrence Gordon Productions, Ghoulardi Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

155 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Don Cheadle and Luis Guzmán would later appear in Traffic (2000).

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Goofs

When the stereo store customer exits the scene, he takes an unusually large step forward because he is stepping over the dolly track.

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Quotes

[Rollergirl scratches her crotch]
Amber Waves: What's going on down there?
Rollergirl: I have to go pee.
Amber Waves: Well, pee then.

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Crazy Credits

Towards the end of the credits, Mark Wahlberg's character speaks.

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Connections

Featured in 20 to 1: Adults Only 20 to 01: World's Most Daring Movies (2009)

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Soundtracks

Joy
Performed by Apollo 100
Adapted from Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach (uncredited)
Arranged by Tom Parker and Clive Scott
Courtesy of Start Audio & Video Ltd.
By Arrangement with Celebrity Licensing Inc.

User Reviews

Fantastic use of camerawork and of pop culture, get ready for a movie that will make you laugh, tense, cry, and make you squeamish

Boogie Nights is an excellent picture. You don't have to have be a part of the whole 70's scene either to appreciate it. The title is very misleading to some who do not generally read reviews beforehand. This movie is an exhilerating piece on a late 70's-early 80's porn star. Yes, it sounds like a very simple plot and much gratutious sex. But it's so much more. While you may be thrown off by the violence and the sexuality Boogie Nights is nowhere near pointless. It features great acting all across the board-even Reynolds is very sympathetic. Some advice though, seeing this movie more than once is a good idea. It grows on you. This movie takes you to the deep down threshold of your heart. It shows you the rise of a porn star and the downhill spiral that follows it. Even in some of the sleaziest of characters can a human being be reached out to. Rent this one tonight - and who cares about all that talk about the use of prosthetics anyway. This is the pulp fiction of the 70's porn industry, "a low class subject made in a high class way".