Boogie Nights (1997)

The story of a young man's adventures in the California 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 35 wins & 55 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luis Guzmán	...	Maurice t.t. 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 | adult entertainment industry | nightclub | adult filmmaking | 

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Taglines:

In 1977, sex was safe, pleasure was a business, and business was booming.

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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 Drive, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$50,168, 12 October 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$26,400,640

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,700,954

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:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The firecracker scene was inspired by both Paul Thomas Anderson's father - who created a character named "Ghoulardi" for a Cleveland television show, on which he'd sometimes set off fireworks on-air - and Robert Downey, Sr.'s film Putney Swope (1969), where a character sets off a firecracker, and everyone turns and looks. Anderson called up Downey to praise the scene and to be the basis, to which Downey approved.

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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

Buck Swope: You're not being fair. This isn't fair.
Loan Officer: This financial institution cannot endorse pornography.
Buck Swope: Stop saying pornography! Why are you doing this to me? I am an actor. I am an actor.

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Crazy Credits

End-credits are listed alphabetically

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Alternate Versions

The UK R2 DVD is presented in an aspect of 1.85:1, not 2.35:1 as filmed, which makes some scenes not fully in frame, especially at the beginning of the film with the title sequence.

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Connections

Referenced in Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011)

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Soundtracks

Fly, Robin, Fly
Written by Stephan Prager (as Stephen Prager) and Sylvester Levay
Performed by Silver Convention
Courtesy of Edition Butterfly / Roswitha Kunze
By Arrangement with Celebrity Licensing Inc.

User Reviews

Robbed of a Best Picture Oscar

Boogie Nights was without a doubt the best film of 1997. I could watch this movie over and over and over and still love it. I'm in no rush to watch that overblown romance/disaster epic Titanic again. The fact that Boogie Nights did not even receive a Best Picture nomination just goes to prove how predictable and narrow-minded the Academy is. Only Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter and Robert Zemeckis's Contact came close to being as great as Boogie Nights. No other filmmaker in recent years has come even remotely close to making a film as good as Tarantino's Pulp Fiction -- until now. Paul Thomas Anderson rose to the challenge and succeeded. Just as Tarantino gave John Travolta's career a kick, P.T. Anderson has given Burt Reynolds the kick that his career needs. Boogie Nights will also undoubtedly make stars of Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, and John Reilly. Overall, a wonderful film. The best since Pulp Fiction. Maybe even better.