Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights chronicles the shifting climate of the adult film industry in its Mecca, the San Fernando Valley. The film has a rather stout cast of characters who cant seem to get their lives together a seasoned adult film actress in a custody battle (Julianne Moore), a continual play thing named Rollergirl (Heather Graham) who is so objectified that she doesn't even have an actual name, and an under pressure porn king (Burt Reynolds) losing his grasp on his empire. Though the heart of the film is Eddie Dirk Diggler Adams (played by Marky Mark himself, Mark Wahlberg) a rookie actor whom we watch go from naive novice to coke-addicted lead actor to self-absorbed superstar. Dirk rises through the ranks thanks in large part to his mystically large penis (which you get a glimpse of during the final scene of the film, thanks to some convincing prosthetics). While the film is indeed best remembered for its flashing private parts, the story ultimately deals with the ups and downs of the porn industry and never glamorizes what mainly appears to be a boring and repetitive career. If youve ever thought about what the Golden Age of Porn must have been like, this is the movie for you.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
