Boogie NightsThe bigger the party, the harder the hangover. What better way to describe that paradigm shift of the 1970s into the 1980s. Like night and day, a world apart...metamorphosis. That's the way it was for a well-endowed bus boy from Torrance, California named Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), who is invited into the adult film industry during the so-called "Golden Age of Porn" in 1977 by a purveyor of "exotic movies" with delusions of artistry, Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds). As the years pass, Eddie--now clad in the pseudonym of "Dirk Diggler"--rises in prominence in his profession, but loses himself in the excess and chaos.
|
|
Boogie Nights is a period piece of the transition from the late Seventies and into the early Eighties, but it is also a study of the styles, the trends, the feel of the era. The fact that it surrounds the industry of pornography is almost an afterthought. Eddie's life prior to his induction into this circle of filmmaking by Jack is fairly unexceptional. His home life is strained--an alcoholic mother and henpecked father--but he has a girl he loves. He takes the bus all the way out to Reseda to wash dishes at a nightclub--it's obvious he's looking to "be discovered", even if he's not even sure that's what he wants yet. Eddie's path to stardom is not unlike that of Eve Harrington in All About Eve; it's about being at the right place at the right time. Eddie's perception of himself is somewhat inflated because of his oft-described exceptionally-sized genitalia. His self-esteem is twisted; his mother angrily calls him stupid for dropping out of high school, but he is praised by many for his physical properties. In his mind, his penis is a reflection of himself, his greatness, and what he can offer the world. So when Jack comes scouting, and invites him into his fold, while Eddie is suffering from a broken home and feeling devalued by his own family, it's not hard to see how tempting this offer is to him.
Essentially, Jack seduces Eddie into joining his "family", also comprised of his presumed lover and lead star, Maggie a.k.a. "Amber Waves" (Julianne Moore), and the fellow high-school nymphet ingenue known primarily as "Rollergirl" (Heather Graham). Even though Eddie and Rollergirl's first encounter is immediately sexual--a "dress rehearsal", so to speak--Jack effectively gives his pitch to Eddie to come in to be an adult film actor as they meet at a diner; at a glance, the four might even be mistaken for a legitimate family. It's here that Jack tells of his dream to create a skin flick with a story, his metaphor to describe his dream not only a silly one, but quite gross, and yet everyone nods in agreement at his vision. Maybe they're just humoring the old man, but really I don't think so; to them, this is a paternal figure who doesn't so much exploit as he cultivates...okay, so he exploits, too, but to the rest of his dysfunctional family, this is better than what they had before. This familial bond is present throughout all of Boogie Nights, but twisted and turned into a madhouse mirror version of a family. Maggie struggles emotionally with her own abandonment of her son, lost in a haze of cocaine and sex; she supplements this void with Eddie, and their bond feels incestuous as a result. Rollergirl is closer to Eddie's age--she never takes off her skates--but she bottles up the rage she feels in her heart, knowing that her own family is completely absent and she felt disrespected in her former life in school, a sentiment which presumably prompted her to drop out as well. On the other hand, what Eddie (and Rollergirl) get from their newfound lifestyle is a sense of belonging, of pride; for Eddie, this too transforms, with his ego so inflated, it soon after explodes and ruptures.
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Boogie Nights boasts numerous long tracking shots, guiding us along paths through night clubs, pool parties at Jack's hacienda, and others. What these tracking shots do is establishes that we are "voyeurs" of this world, passengers in this time capsule back into this bygone era, where platform shoes and bellbottoms were taken seriously. At the Hot Traxx club, it introduces us to our key players--a stylistic convention repeated throughout--making these people familiar, more authentic. A convention of P.T. Anderson's films is that the characters have eccentricities--may even be weird at times--but are still recognizable, relatable even in their idiosyncrasies. Also part of the Jack Horner film family is Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), a guy not too unlike Eddie, although more self-conscious (and a bit of a dope), but one who sticks by Eddie through thick and thin. And there is Buck Swope (Don Cheadle), a fellow "actor" who hocks overpriced stereos (unsuccessfully), and is suffering a style crisis until he meets his love, Jessie (Melora Walters). Boogie Nights is a time capsule, but it is also a black comedy, a satire even. The "porno chic" of the Seventies seems like a desperate effort to cling to the the kind of "free love" attitudes of the decade prior, but is very clearly complicated and not uniformly accepted. Jack's production assistant, "Little" Bill Thompson (William H. Macy) is a cuckold, his wife (played by none other than legendary porn actress, Nina Hartley), openly and publicly cheats on him for entertainment and shock value, leading to a fully absurd scene where Jack's director of photography grills Bill about lighting for the upcoming shoot, while his wife is being had in the background behind them. Looking back on any age--especially when the more, shall we say, "iconic elements" are in focus--can give that period in time an absurd quality; that said, disco certainly doesn't do any favors in establishing a sense of dignity.
The sharpest division in the tone of the story happens quite literally in the middle, a point of transition in Boogie Nights which takes place roughly at the stroke of midnight, heralding the new decade with a gunshot, violence--a vision of things to come. Consider the kinds of film Boogie Nights purports defined the Seventies versus the Eighties, the change in style, dress, and even mannerisms. Moments before felt like Saturday Night Fever; afterward, it's more Scarface. Boogie Nights is also clearly aware of its cinematic inspirations, with moments that clearly homage films of the era. One infamous homage comes at the end when Eddie/Dirk effectively give his own interpretation of Robert De Niro's performance of Jake LaMotta from Raging Bull, with a notable deviation. Eddie embraces the persona he has created in Dirk Diggler, wanting to be called Dirk, becoming a prima donna of porn, addicted to drugs, lashing out, his ego overshadowing all. This is a far cry from the shy young boy who was so cautious, so polite, even so nervous to perform on camera, but still possessed a natural aptitude which made him a star in his circle. For Eddie, it's as though the Eighties have infected him, poisoned him with the kind of greed, paranoia, and violence which Boogie Nights implies was a facet of the times, reflected in the entertainment of that decade. Whereas his fame gave him an interest in tasteful luxuries (if ostentatious at time, like his Corvette), the Eighties leave him trapped in a cage of kitsch, with him and Reed decked out in "totally rad" outfits, desperately trying to score a record deal, doing a terrible cover of "You've Got the Touch". (The irony here is that Mark Wahlberg would go on to star in the Transformers: Age of Extinction.) It is not just Eddie who suffers from this dream turned nightmare; Jack finds himself forced to compromise his dreams, stuck making sleaze on videotape in lieu of film. Buck and Jessie's dreams of "going straight" with their own business are quashed when they cannot get approved for a loan due to their past in pornography. Rollergirl's fury at her past manifests in a violent outburst, and Maggie's forced to accept that she has been a poor mother when confronted with the reason she was denied visitation of her actual son. Boogie Nights deftly walks the line of portraying the negative effects of living a wild life without moralizing. Characters are absurd, yes, but are so earnest in their dreams and visions, dedicated to their passions, that one cannot fully sneer without accepting that there is something still admirable in their devotion, even if it is married with a lust for the obscene.
Recommended for: Fans of a deep story about a misfit band of would-be artists and stars of smut, but nevertheless people with dreams--in the gutter, looking to the stars. Boogie Nights also boasts an impressive package of songs of the era, sometimes played for some ironic laughs--may never hear Melanie's "Brand New Key" the same way.
Essentially, Jack seduces Eddie into joining his "family", also comprised of his presumed lover and lead star, Maggie a.k.a. "Amber Waves" (Julianne Moore), and the fellow high-school nymphet ingenue known primarily as "Rollergirl" (Heather Graham). Even though Eddie and Rollergirl's first encounter is immediately sexual--a "dress rehearsal", so to speak--Jack effectively gives his pitch to Eddie to come in to be an adult film actor as they meet at a diner; at a glance, the four might even be mistaken for a legitimate family. It's here that Jack tells of his dream to create a skin flick with a story, his metaphor to describe his dream not only a silly one, but quite gross, and yet everyone nods in agreement at his vision. Maybe they're just humoring the old man, but really I don't think so; to them, this is a paternal figure who doesn't so much exploit as he cultivates...okay, so he exploits, too, but to the rest of his dysfunctional family, this is better than what they had before. This familial bond is present throughout all of Boogie Nights, but twisted and turned into a madhouse mirror version of a family. Maggie struggles emotionally with her own abandonment of her son, lost in a haze of cocaine and sex; she supplements this void with Eddie, and their bond feels incestuous as a result. Rollergirl is closer to Eddie's age--she never takes off her skates--but she bottles up the rage she feels in her heart, knowing that her own family is completely absent and she felt disrespected in her former life in school, a sentiment which presumably prompted her to drop out as well. On the other hand, what Eddie (and Rollergirl) get from their newfound lifestyle is a sense of belonging, of pride; for Eddie, this too transforms, with his ego so inflated, it soon after explodes and ruptures.
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Boogie Nights boasts numerous long tracking shots, guiding us along paths through night clubs, pool parties at Jack's hacienda, and others. What these tracking shots do is establishes that we are "voyeurs" of this world, passengers in this time capsule back into this bygone era, where platform shoes and bellbottoms were taken seriously. At the Hot Traxx club, it introduces us to our key players--a stylistic convention repeated throughout--making these people familiar, more authentic. A convention of P.T. Anderson's films is that the characters have eccentricities--may even be weird at times--but are still recognizable, relatable even in their idiosyncrasies. Also part of the Jack Horner film family is Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), a guy not too unlike Eddie, although more self-conscious (and a bit of a dope), but one who sticks by Eddie through thick and thin. And there is Buck Swope (Don Cheadle), a fellow "actor" who hocks overpriced stereos (unsuccessfully), and is suffering a style crisis until he meets his love, Jessie (Melora Walters). Boogie Nights is a time capsule, but it is also a black comedy, a satire even. The "porno chic" of the Seventies seems like a desperate effort to cling to the the kind of "free love" attitudes of the decade prior, but is very clearly complicated and not uniformly accepted. Jack's production assistant, "Little" Bill Thompson (William H. Macy) is a cuckold, his wife (played by none other than legendary porn actress, Nina Hartley), openly and publicly cheats on him for entertainment and shock value, leading to a fully absurd scene where Jack's director of photography grills Bill about lighting for the upcoming shoot, while his wife is being had in the background behind them. Looking back on any age--especially when the more, shall we say, "iconic elements" are in focus--can give that period in time an absurd quality; that said, disco certainly doesn't do any favors in establishing a sense of dignity.
The sharpest division in the tone of the story happens quite literally in the middle, a point of transition in Boogie Nights which takes place roughly at the stroke of midnight, heralding the new decade with a gunshot, violence--a vision of things to come. Consider the kinds of film Boogie Nights purports defined the Seventies versus the Eighties, the change in style, dress, and even mannerisms. Moments before felt like Saturday Night Fever; afterward, it's more Scarface. Boogie Nights is also clearly aware of its cinematic inspirations, with moments that clearly homage films of the era. One infamous homage comes at the end when Eddie/Dirk effectively give his own interpretation of Robert De Niro's performance of Jake LaMotta from Raging Bull, with a notable deviation. Eddie embraces the persona he has created in Dirk Diggler, wanting to be called Dirk, becoming a prima donna of porn, addicted to drugs, lashing out, his ego overshadowing all. This is a far cry from the shy young boy who was so cautious, so polite, even so nervous to perform on camera, but still possessed a natural aptitude which made him a star in his circle. For Eddie, it's as though the Eighties have infected him, poisoned him with the kind of greed, paranoia, and violence which Boogie Nights implies was a facet of the times, reflected in the entertainment of that decade. Whereas his fame gave him an interest in tasteful luxuries (if ostentatious at time, like his Corvette), the Eighties leave him trapped in a cage of kitsch, with him and Reed decked out in "totally rad" outfits, desperately trying to score a record deal, doing a terrible cover of "You've Got the Touch". (The irony here is that Mark Wahlberg would go on to star in the Transformers: Age of Extinction.) It is not just Eddie who suffers from this dream turned nightmare; Jack finds himself forced to compromise his dreams, stuck making sleaze on videotape in lieu of film. Buck and Jessie's dreams of "going straight" with their own business are quashed when they cannot get approved for a loan due to their past in pornography. Rollergirl's fury at her past manifests in a violent outburst, and Maggie's forced to accept that she has been a poor mother when confronted with the reason she was denied visitation of her actual son. Boogie Nights deftly walks the line of portraying the negative effects of living a wild life without moralizing. Characters are absurd, yes, but are so earnest in their dreams and visions, dedicated to their passions, that one cannot fully sneer without accepting that there is something still admirable in their devotion, even if it is married with a lust for the obscene.
Recommended for: Fans of a deep story about a misfit band of would-be artists and stars of smut, but nevertheless people with dreams--in the gutter, looking to the stars. Boogie Nights also boasts an impressive package of songs of the era, sometimes played for some ironic laughs--may never hear Melanie's "Brand New Key" the same way.