BOOGIE NIGHTS: DVD

SYNOPSIS:
Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) is a seventeen-year-old busboy at a 1970's nightclub. Spotted by porn filmmaker Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) for his good looks and the generous bulge in his pants, Eddie is lured into the world of making ‘adult’ films. He meets Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Jack's part-time lover and full time porn queen, along with others in the industry such as actor Buck Swope (Don Cheadle), crew member Little Bill (William Macy), the films' investor known as "The Colonel" (Robert Ridgely) and a woman constantly on roller skates known only as Rollergirl (Heather Graham). With his natural physical "gift," Eddie becomes a big star in the adult film industry and changes his name to Dirk Diggler. Working hard and playing harder, Amber introduces Dirk to the world of cocaine, and he is soon hooked. He starts to hang out with Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), his adult action film co-star, and his friend Todd Parker (Thomas Jane). Life is good for Dirk until Jack finds a new young actor who may take Dirk's place. Dirk's drug addition exacts a toll and his fame in the porno industry fades. As they enter the more conservative 1980's, Dirk and the others find the industry, and their lives, changing in ways they had never imagined.

"It all started with Dirk Diggler. Fascinated by the porn industry, Paul Thomas Anderson created this character in a short film when he was 17 years old. Narrated by his father and styled in Spinal Tap's mockumentary format, it was a hit with his friends and a feature length version followed several years later. Boogie Nights, a fascinating story of ambition, sleeze, pathos and tragedy set in the porn industry takes us back to the late 70s, when bell bottoms were in and disco was the happening thing. In a fascinating and informative director's commentary, we hear how although Leonardo DiCaprio was Anderson's first choice for the central role, he was happy to settle for Mark Wahlberg, who had impressed in The Baseketball Diaries. (DiCaprio chose Titanic.) He first met Wahlberg in a bar; Wahlberg wanted to be sure that it was his acting talents that were sought after, and not his image as a Calvin Klein underwear model. Anderson reveals his temporary trepidation about casting 70s icon Burt Reynolds in a film set in the 70s - and how he was immediately glad he did. If you're interested in the film, you'll be fascinated by all the information – from Anderson's first influences (Scorcese & Demme to name a couple) to his ideas and impressions of not only his cast and characters, but about the minutae of detail about every scene. There are plenty of features on this DVD – deleted scenes (with and without commentary), chapter selection, brief interview grabs with the cast (so so) plus text biographies. Admittedly Boogie Nights is a controversial film about a controversial topic, but the film delves far deeper than you might expect. The after-taste is one of complex sadness, raising a big question mark about the contradictions of the human condition. If you haven't seen the film, read our reviews before you buy - or just rent a copy first."
Louise Keller