"Not a bad thing I can say about this film. Perfection."
Sometimes style can make up for lack of substance. Sometimes the stytle IS the substance. Case in point.With most films you can easily identify what it was that made you think "fucking great movie" as you left. Boogie Nights is a tough one.
I don't know whether it was the music (which was awesome right through), I don't know whether it was the honest depiction of life in the 70's (I used to have a t-shirt with a motorcross rider across the front too, but I swear I never had flairs), or maybe it was the intriguing look at life in the porn industry back in the halcyon days of pre-home video, perhaps it was the awesome performances, perhaps it was the great casting, perhaps it was the humor and script....
It sure wasn't Marky Mark's prosthetic pecker.
Whatever it was that really made Boogie Nights unforgettable, no other film has demonstrated it. Let's just call it style. Boogie Nights follows few of the rules and offers some new rules in the bargain.
It's the tale of a "gifted" young guy (Marky Mark) who is drafted into the booming 70's porn industry by a bigwig producer (Reynolds). He rises fast (pun so intended it's not even funny) and falls faster (I swear, that never happens to me)... it's tough to outline the story, because this film is less about the story than the characters outlined in it.
This film will hit a huge chord with those who weren't in diapers in the 70's, but people who missed the era should find penty to enjoy as well. Performances by Marky, Heather Graham (Rollergirl needs her own sequel!), Julianne Moore and more, are standouts.Paul Thomas Anderson is on the way up. I hope he never does a Bruce Willis film, or is forced to cast an actor from Friends. We need someone to usurp Tarantino as the whizkid of cinema.
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