Boogie Nights
Two-Disc Special EditionTrailer I love movies that have flawed characters, but what makes
Boogie Nights a great film is that every character in the movie is seriously flawed or f*cked up one way or another. Flawed characters make great stories because you want to see just how far they go before they either wise up and do something to fix themselves or they just keep going till they drop off a cliff. Whatever happens, you just don't know what turns they are going to make and that was exactly how it felt watching this when it first came out in the theater. I remember kinda feeling weird even being in a theater watching a movie about p o r n. I don't think I was the only one that felt that way either, I got the sense that everyone was a little apprehensive.
Okay, getting back on track here, with all these flawed characters, set in the p o r n industry in the 70's and 80's, it can at times feel kind of depressing with all of their problems and narrow view of who they think they are. Delusional people in real life is just a very sad thing to see and up on the screen you still get that feeling. But what's remarkable is that their problems in the
Boogie Nights-universe is so over the top, that it becomes insanely funny. Come on, who here doesn't bust out laughing listening to
Dirk Diggler, er...
Brock Landers (Mark Walhberg) in his interview with
Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) when he is talking about violence in films? He is taking his role as an "actor" to great extremes which makes him funnier....intentional or not. On the flip side you have
Reed (John C. Riley) in the same interview with no clue about what he does that he can quit right now and go and do something else. Sadly, I don't believe him, even if he thinks he is a real magician.
Probably the biggest laugh I get from the movie is of course when
Brock and
Chest (sh*t man, I don't know when and where the fake names and second fake personae's begin and end), are in the Recording studio layin' down some tracks. Talk about some of the most cheesiest lyrics you will ever hear. So bad....and soooooooooo funny! If you have the
Two-Disc Special Edition, be sure to listen to the audio commentary with
Paul Thomas Anderson. He actually brings up the whole double identity that
Eddie has adopted and why. The commentary is actually one of my favorites from any DVD I own. I've listened to it a few times and it's always fascinating to hear.
Okay. You're probably wondering if I was going to talk about my girl
Heather Graham. Well, wonder no more. Yes, she gets naked on camera and yes, she wears roller-skates while she does the deed. A lot has been made about her role here....but for all the wrong reasons. They like to talk about how this was the movie that started her down the path of basically getting naked for anything now. But I actually think that she did a great job as
Rollergirl and she doesn't get the credit that she deserves. I can't see any other actress in Hollywood doing a better job of portraying someone that acts like nothing is wrong, pushing her feelings deep downward until she finally just snaps at the end.
A slow burn tragedy just waiting to happen. Once again, listen to the commentary by
Paul to get more info about the scene in particular and why.
Great cast all around that also includes
Burt Reynolds, Ricky Jay, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Thomas Jane, Philip Baker Hall, Luis Guzmán and
Alfred Molina just to name a few. Okay, a lot. Definitely a great movie to watch when you want to study how to write characters. Just a great film to see them work in their respective roles. Definitely worth a
Rent, if not an out-right
Buy. I will say that there is one negative and that's the run time. There's really no reason why this movie should clock in a 2.5 hours long, one that doesn't really give you a big payoff by the time you get to the end.
Eddie, er....
Dirk.....um.
Brock never does have a character arc with a satisfying end. He's still the exact same as he was when the movie started. Actually....he is more delusional by the end. That's him falling off a cliff.
Bonus points for an awesoooooooooooooome soundtrack.