Second-time director Paul Thomas Anderson's 1997 ode to the Golden Age of Porn didn't shy away from sex or nudity, but somehow felt less exploitive than an episode of Baywatch. Poignant, joyous, and seriously funny, it made the names of Anderson and his huge cast.

Loosely based on the story of porn king John Holmes, the movie follows Dirk Diggler, Mark Wahlberg's sweet-hearted bus boy with a golden ticket to stardom in his jeans. When he's discovered by porn impresario Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds, in yet another comeback), he finds himself in an extended family of porn stars and crew members. We follow them through six years of triumphs and tragedies as Dirk sinks into addiction, desperation, and wannabe pop stardom, and the industry shifts to the straight-to-video quickies of the eighties.

Anderson captured a host of amazing performances. It's Wahlberg's best role, William H. Macy and Heather Graham are both unforgettable in their own ways, and Reynolds and Julianne Moore (playing elder stateswoman Amber Waves) were nominated for Academy Awards. But they were well-known before the film; even more notable are the people that Boogie Nights turned into stars. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle, Melora Walters, Alfred Molina, and Luis Guzman had all slogged away in Hollywood for years. But it was John C. Reilly who took his part as Reed Rothchild, Diggler's co-star and sidekick, and ran away with it, practically stealing every scene he's in. Five years later, he was in three of the year's five Best Picture nominees.

The script, written by Anderson and nominated for an Oscar, is witty and sharp, with dozens of hilariously quotable lines that poke fun at the silliness of the names and plans and to some extent the lives of the characters, but without looking down on them. But Boogie Nights isn't a comedy, and the second half of the movie is filled with great tension and dread. Visually ambitious too, it uses long, unbroken Steadicam shots through discos and pool parties, split-screens, and old-school 16mm footage. The clothes and sets show an amazing attention to detail, and the soundtrack is a masterpiece of disco chestnuts and lite eighties rock.

The extras include two commentaries, one by Anderson and one by the cast; 10 deleted scenes; "The John C. Reilly Files," a series of outtakes and extended sequences; the theatrical trailer; and an unrelated music video from Michael Penn, who wrote the score. The commentaries are interesting enough, and the 29 minutes of deleted scenes are a treat, offering great new material instead of the usual alternate takes. But everything here already appeared on 2000's Platinum Series 2-Disc DVD. Anderson called that "the definitive version," and so far he's keeping his word.

Anderson went on to direct Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love before mopping up awards nominations with the portentous There Will Be Blood. But Boogie Nights is his most humane film, and his best.

Boogie Nights for Blu-ray is available now from New Line.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us