There are certain movies that I will always watch if I come across them while surfing, no matter how far along they are in the plot. Boogie Nights is one of those movies. It’s a nearly perfect little gem that also happens to have one of the greatest film sequences ever. More on that in a moment. It’s about the porn industry in the 70’s and 80’s, with tour-de-force performances from a stellar cast that includes Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Mark Wahlberg, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Macy, and Don Cheadle. And let’s not forget longtime Bay Area fixture and classic porn star Nina Hartley as Bill Macy’s slutty wife. Man, that girl can act.
Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s depiction of 70’s and 80’s pop culture is pitch-perfect as he weaves a tale of lonely, twisted, broken people who use the porn industry to sell themselves on the idea that they’re doing something special and making a difference. And, er, I’m told that the really bad porn is right on the money, too.
It’s a great movie, and it has one scene that’s worth the price of admission by itself. Unfortunately, it’s a sequence that was very carefully staged for the theater experience, and it loses a bit of its power when it gets transferred to the small screen, but it will still make you jump out of your skin. There’s no higher tribute for a filmmaker than to tell him that you as a viewer felt the same things that the characters felt, and this scene will…make…you…nuts. If you’re familiar with the movie, you probably know where I’m going here. It’s the scene where Marky Mark and his two idiot friends go over to a drug dealer’s house thinking that they’re going to rip him off by selling him half a key of baking soda. These lunkheads are already out of their minds with fear and paranoia, and they have absolutely no plan of how to get out if the guy tests the bogus dope. Meanwhile, the dealer, who’s wearing an open robe with nothing but bikini briefs under it, is stoned out of his mind and playing “Sister Christian” on a gigantic stereo system, while a fruitcake Chinese guy sets off firecrackers every few seconds.  By the end of the scene, when (as it must) it all goes to shit, you’ll be sweating bullets and hopping around on your seat.
Five Stars.ÂÂ
Update: Here it is.
Maude is gonna be so pissed!
I love that movie. My favorite little bit is when Julianne Moore’s character is at a custody hearing. Her ex-husband is accusing her of being on drugs and getting arrested all the time; Moore denies this. The judge asks, “When was the last time you were arrested and what was the charge?” SMASH CUT to Moore standing outside the courthouse crying. Now, I don’t know if that was the director or the editor, but that’s quality filmmaking right there.
I was uncomfortable at “Sister Christian”. But yeah, great scene.
That dude chucking the firecrackers scared me, and I was only watching the scene.
That scene is loosely based upon the Wonderland murders, involving John Holmes and LA dirtball Eddie Nash. A decent version of the events can be found here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335563/