Boogie Nights (1997) — Read Along
“99 Red Balloons Go By!”
“This is a giant cock!”
Set between 1977 and the early 1980’s, this stunning film follows “Dirk Diggler” and his rather large appendage making it, erm, big in the porn industry! Mark Wahlberg, an underrated actor of his generation plays Dirk and takes centre stage alongside a stunning performance from cigar chomping Burt Reynolds as “Jack Horner”. In the opening scenes you are introduced to virtually every character, and very early on you detect their human frailties and the vacuous superficiality of their lives and the industry in which they work. Except one, the fresh faced, eager and motivated Dirk Diggler.
The early scenes really set the table for the movie, from Paul Thomas Anderson’s amazing swooping camera work and full screen shots really immersing you directly into the film. Together with the human frailties and broken characters, you get a sense of a brooding intensity building and building, until the eventual release (my sexual references here aren’t intentional!) at the end of Act Two.
There are so many characters and so many stand out performances aside from Wahlberg and Reynolds. Julianne Moore as hyper “Amber Waves” is astonishing, John C Reilly as “Reed Rothchild” crumbles before your eyes and Heather Graham plays “Rollergirl” to perfection. Don Cheadle as “Buck Swope” also stands out against a backdrop of great acting talent. Biased as I may be, but “Little Bill” is played by one of my all time favourite actors William H Macy. A small part, minimal dialogue, but played perfectly before he departs the scene on a very bloody New Years Eve!
The supporting cast continues with Luis Guzman (in his first PT Anderson film) as the bizarre and hyper “Maurice Rodriguez” and three returnees from Anderson’s first film also star in supporting roles with Melora Walters “Jesse St Vincent”, Philip Baker Hall as “Floyd Gondolli” and Philip Seymour Hoffman stealing every scene as camp film assistant “Scotty J”. His performance, among an all star cast, is truly brilliant. Fans of late 70’s and early 80’s music will love the soundtrack as there’s plenty to choose from. The closing credits start with ELO’s “Living Thing” which encapsulates this gem of a movie perfectly. As does the other stand out music choice — as a True Romance style shoot out ensues, we have Alfred Molina’s crazy “Rahad Jackson” shooting everything and everyone in sight, whilst Nena’s “99 Red Balloons” go by! Further musical gems are “Best of my Love” by The Emotions, “Sunny” by Boney M, “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band and “Mama Told Me Not to Come” by Three Dog Night.
As with all PT Anderson films, the soundtrack alone is highly recommended.
The film that propelled Paul Thomas Anderson into the mainstream is a master class in cinema, drawing as it does unbelievable central performances that captivate the imagination and the heart. Written and directed by PT Anderson, this was originally based on a short film in 1988 by Anderson entitled “The Dirk Diggler Story” and is also very loosely based on the 1970’s porn star John Holmes, he of the rather large appendage!
Regular collaborators Dylan Tichenor (Editor) and Robert Elswit (Director of Photography) return and help Anderson create a strangely twisting tale of obscurity, fame, denial and redemption all wrapped within characters that on the surface aren’t likeable but as you immerse yourself in an overly long (155 minutes) film you warm to and root for. Too long? Maybe.
But it’s a tale brilliantly told, wonderfully shot and brought to life by some of the most cherished character actors of our time.
Thanks for reading. You can also find “Boogie Nights” within my first volume (of 7) and inside my “Essential Film Reviews Collection” on Amazon with all 7 volumes free to read should you have an Amazon Kindle “Unlimited” package. The following nine self-published books can also be read for free on Kindle or they’d look rather splendid on your bookshelf!
"The Essential Film Reviews Collection" VOL.1 - link to Amazon
