Boogie Nights (1997)

Everyone's born with one special thing, and Eddie Adams uses his humongous "asset" to take the world of film pornography by storm. Things get ugly though when success leads to drugs and ruin. Will Dirk clean up and get back on top? Will Amber see her son? Will Rollergirl ever take off her skates?! (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson
Written By: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Burt Reynolds, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Luis Guzmán, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Wahlberg, Melora Walters
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Where to Stream
Loading...


Boogie Nights belongs to 113 collections
1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by kozan26 - 234 stars)
2. Favorite Film of Every Criticker Member (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 95 stars)
3. boobs (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 51 stars)
4. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)
5. Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (public: Ross - 36 stars)
6. New York Times' The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 32 stars)
7. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)
8. Movies about movies (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 31 stars)
9. The Guardian's 1000 films to see before you die (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 30 stars)
10. Passed the Bechdel Test (collaborative: moderated by geohawk - 29 stars)
11. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)
12. Full Female Frontal Nudity (Yes, Bush!) (collaborative: moderated by iceblox - 26 stars)
13. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)
14. 100 Movies to See Before You Die: The Modern Classics (collaborative - 22 stars)
15. Academy Award - Oscar - ALL Best Picture, Directing, Acting & Screenplay Nominees (collaborative - 22 stars)
16. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)
17. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
18. Best of criticker: Drama (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 18 stars)
19. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 17 stars)
20. Drugs (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 16 stars)
21. Christmas (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 16 stars)
22. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)
23. Metacritic - Universal Acclaim (collaborative: moderated by sengir - 14 stars)
24. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)
25. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2020 revision) (public: djross - 14 stars)
26. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
27. films101.com's 5 star films (collaborative: moderated by ppinocchio - 11 stars)
28. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (public: PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)
29. Suicide (collaborative: moderated by mpowell - 9 stars)
30. Filmmaking (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky - 9 stars)
31. Epic (collaborative - 8 stars)
32. Sex (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky - 8 stars)
33. Los Angeles (collaborative: moderated by Zarkon - 8 stars)
34. The AV Club 50 Best Films of the '90s (public: TychoCelchuu - 8 stars)
35. Male Frontal Nudity (collaborative: moderated by bobyang - 7 stars)
36. Anamorphic Cinematography (collaborative: moderated by Bojangles - 7 stars)
37. David Thomson's 1000 Films (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 7 stars)
38. Skandies (collaborative: moderated by toro913 - 7 stars)
39. 1970s period film (collaborative: moderated by djross - 6 stars)
40. Male Gay Character(s) in a Non Gay-Themed Film (collaborative: moderated by bobyang - 6 stars)
41. List: Taschen (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 6 stars)
42. TSPDT Top 200 Directors: Best Film (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 6 stars)
43. Hyperlink Cinema / Interconnected Stories (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 6 stars)
44. Great Long Takes (collaborative: moderated by PerryStroika - 6 stars)
45. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)
46. Filmsite.org - Sex in the Movies, An Illustrated History (collaborative: moderated by afx237vi - 5 stars)
47. List: Empire's 301 Greatest Movies of All Time (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 5 stars)
48. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)
49. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)
50. BFI Screen Guides' 100 American Independent Films (collaborative: moderated by Coheed - 4 stars)
51. Full Male Frontal Nudity (Yes, Dick!) (collaborative: moderated by iceblox - 4 stars)
52. cultfilms (public: medium123 - 4 stars)
53. Ensemble Cast (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky - 3 stars)
54. BIFA Winner (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 3 stars)
55. 1980s period film (collaborative: moderated by djross - 3 stars)
56. Cinemascope (collaborative - 3 stars)
57. Rise and Fall (collaborative: moderated by mattorama12 - 3 stars)
58. Slant Magazine's 100 Best Movies of the 1990s (collaborative: moderated by edsu - 3 stars)
59. L.A. sleaze (collaborative: moderated by mattburgess - 3 stars)
60. Roger Ebert's 4-Star Movies (collaborative: moderated by KirkJiggler - 3 stars)
61. Top 1000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 3 stars)
62. Pornography (collaborative: moderated by djross - 2 stars)
63. Best Opening Scenes (collaborative: moderated by mpowell - 2 stars)
64. father-daughter relationship (collaborative: moderated by livelove - 2 stars)
65. From short to feature (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 2 stars)
66. Best Original screenplay (collaborative: moderated by Roman_Herbom - 2 stars)
67. Legitimate Movie or TV Show featuring present or former Porn Actor (collaborative: moderated by Grumblebutt - 2 stars)
68. Top 2000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 2 stars)
69. Title Based On Song Name (collaborative: moderated by iceblox - 1 star)
70. NBR Top 10 Films (collaborative: moderated by xacviant - 1 star)
71. Films that most frequently use the word "fuck" (collaborative: moderated by elhenzo - 1 star)
72. Coheed's Celluloid Pit (public: Coheed - 1 star)
73. My Top 100 (public: 3dRevelation - 1 star)
74. Tekrar Tekrar İzlenesi (public: Ozancan - 1 star)
75. Los Angeles Movies (public: stalebread - 1 star)
76. The Greatest Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 500 (public: Hadleyreis - 1 star)
77. Photographed by Robert Elswit (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed)
78. Criticker Users' Top Films Since 1986 (collaborative: moderated by mwgerb)
79. Want to see (collaborative: moderated by veeqdee)
80. My Films (collaborative: moderated by Faggels)
81. Split screen (collaborative: moderated by juandr)
82. Mind blowing collection (collaborative: moderated by hakkanarejo)
83. My Favorite Movies (collaborative)
84. noike/caffes Topp 100 filmer! (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson)
85. The Canon podcast (all films) (collaborative: moderated by psim)
86. Ratings (collaborative: moderated by cheapthrills)
87. Tim's Favorite Movies (collaborative)
88. New Line Cinema (collaborative: moderated by elhenzo)
89. Available on Divicast (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)
90. My DVDs/Blu-rays, for better or worse (public: Actionberg)
91. Favorites of Each Year (public: Actionberg)
92. Pendientes (public: juglar103)
93. Owned (BD) (public: bizarre_eye)
94. 1997: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
95. My DVD Collection (public: balseiros)
96. Owned Films (public: TheSaberfool)
97. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 24 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
98. BF-1990 (public: caffe)
99. Movies to See: Drama (public: Lord Moe)
100. Movies I Own (public: Farzan)
101. Max (public: 8raz)
102. P. Watchlist (public: nnraiden)
103. Tom's Movies (public: tomwalsh)
104. AV Club 20 Best Films of 1997 (public: TychoCelchuu)
105. to-do (public: chxflx)
106. My Movie Collection (public: elhenzo)
107. Streaming List (public: xreleased)
108. Films Dunstan Owns (public: Dunstan-xxx)
109. Memorable Soundtracks (public: Midaso)
110. Unofficially Beating The World Record For Most Films Watched in a Year (public: EsperHart)
111. My ratings (public: tpbradbury)
112. to watch (public: sonicvibe2k)
113. Challenge: The 100 (public: tomwalsh)
Browse the full list of collections
Stars | User | Rating | |
18 | ![]() |
Pickpocket | 0 4th |
PTA's ensemble mosaic which launched his career. If you are interested in film making you can learn more in the first 3 minutes of this film then almost anything. The first shot alone is worth 150/100 points. Everyone is great in this especially Philip Seymour Hoffman (who I wish there was more of) and Burt Reynolds. It's sometimes hard to watch, especially when everything starts falling apart but this is an extremely satisfying experience. Lol @ Reynolds for firing his agent after seeing this
|
|||
12 | ![]() |
Paxton | 75 78th |
After watching this with my wife I bought her a gag gift of a pair of roller skates (wink wink nudge nudge). She countered by surprising me with a kilo of coke (wink wink wink wink wink wink wink wink).
|
|||
11 | ![]() |
Shmendrek | 6 99th |
Prior to watching this at the age of fourteen, I loved movies but thought of their construction as purely accidental. Everything changed during the extended close-up of Wahlberg's face just before the drug deal goes sour. At first I thought it was a mistake; why was the movie lingering on this guy's face for so long? But then it dawned on me that someone behind the camera did it ON PURPOSE to make a POINT (play now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWnmCu3U09w). That day, a cinephile was born.
|
|||
8 | ![]() |
Nroo | 90 97th |
"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a porn star."
|
|||
6 | ![]() |
BeeDub | 100 97th |
Transcendental filmmaking. The writing, acting, cinematography, and period-accurate details combine to create something that feels more like real life captured on film than a movie. Completely absorbing, despite the unlikely subject matter.
|
|||
5 | ![]() |
Barthalen | 90 97th |
It's been a while since I've seen a movie where everyone, literally éveryone, nails their roles. Overflowing with enthusiasm, music, style, lingering shots and a great sense of timing. Could have been much more vulgar considering the material, but Anderson mostly keeps it classy and, well, fún.
|
|||
5 | ![]() |
iconogassed | 95 95th |
I love you, you love me. Going down the sugar tree. We'll go down the sugar tree, and see lots of bees: playing, playing. But the bees won't sting, because you love me.
|
|||
4 | ![]() |
Magb | 85 73rd |
Whoa, what a ride. The amazingly colorful cast of characters is as varied as life itself, and the experience of watching them living out their frenzied existences can be both entertaining, hilarious, harrowing and maddening. The movie moves around at a miraculous pace. Music is used to brilliant effect. Some sequences manage to work their way into an almost hypnotic state of being, and they usually give way to yet more, equally vibrant scenes. It never really stops. And I love it.
|
|||
4 | ![]() |
Kojiless | 91 94th |
The penis, mightier than the pen is.
|
|||
4 | ![]() |
BillyShears | 90 92nd |
John C. Reilly.
|
|||
3 | thecedex | 95 99th |
|
Boogie Nights has a terrific ensemble, fast moving screenplay, and retro and authentic looks. Whatever your stand is in the pronographic industry there is no denying that, at the end, wholsome values is a centerpiece in this soon to be american classic.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
easydiff | 44 38th |
I just don't care for P.T. Andersen's work. Something about the way he shoots just grates on me.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
Alex Watkins | 5 91st |
Somebody likes Martin Scorsese (and Robert Altman for that matter). Fortunately I do too so the obvious Scorsese influences don't bother me at all, and Boogie Nights had me grinning like an idiot much of the time. The cast of characters is so varied and vivid, the soundtrack so fantastic, the direction a thing of beauty (PTA's penchant for amazing tracking shots leaves me breathless). Bold and brilliant entertainment.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
Zealot185 | 47 24th |
The 70s portion of the film is entertaining, if only because its so RISQUE and the the tracking shots are impressive. Once we get to the 80s, the story becomes this random, hectic, overly violent, and drug-related series of vignettes that ungracefully and uncreatively plunge the characters into despair just so they can recover in the last 5-10 minutes of the film, leading to the happy ending that I think is the real reason admirers of this movie love it so much: Pointless. Prosthetic. COCK.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
woodoo | 90 82nd |
Basically a porno homage to Goodfellas. Mark Wahlberg is perfectly cast as a total idiot.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
AndreasThau | 75 68th |
Very entertaining, but apart from the cinematography, not a piece of art at all. Best (again, the cinematography aside) is the acting, with Mark Wahlberg surprisingly good and Cheadle, Reilly, Hoffman and especially Burt Reynolds and William H. Macy who are all really great. Yes, they are all also men, and yes, Heather Graham is cute. Also when naked.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
mattorama12 | 99 99th |
I love pretty much everything about this movie. In my humble opinion, PTA moves a camera better than any other contemporary American filmmaker. It's impressive that he was doing it so effectively so early in his career. If you want to have a great day, watch this right after Goodfellas and, in addition to watching two perfect films, you'll see how much PTA was influenced by Scorsese.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
Moribunny | 43 30th |
It's fairly well-made and well-written at the able hands of Anderson, but there's just not much to it. The rise and fall of a pornstar is a novelty as a concept, but the actual story is rather pedestrian.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
TheDenizen | 85 91st |
Not nearly as lurid or sleazy as you might expect a film about porn stars to be, instead choosing to revel in it's wonderful performances and stunning cinematography. The only flaw is in providing an ending that wraps up all the narrative threads in too neat and tidy a package.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
cagedwisdom | 100 90th |
Stellar cast. Every single part is brilliantly cast, even Wahlberg who in some other cases has been cast a bit over his head, and the bit parts are also great (Molina, Hall, Hoffman). Sexy, funny, great characters, wonderful soundtrack and the cinematography is outstanding. Fantastic film-making. I can't see why I waited so long to see it, PTA is the man. It should've gone out with more of a bang, perhaps, but I still love this.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
twincinema | 95 96th |
Mark Wahlberg is perfectly cast as a really dumb guy who also happens to be hot. The scene with Alfred Molina is perfect.
|
|||
2 | Skenkere | 96 98th |
|
I'm almost surprised at how highly I'm rating this, but it really is an incredibly enjoyable movie to watch. Don't let the synopsis fool you, there's so much more here than porn. Great ensemble cast, lots of humor, retro atmosphere, engaging camerawork, fantastic characters, as well as some really affecting scenes, this basically has it all. And it's incredible that for a movie with so much porn, drug use, and even some violence, the message really boils down to the importance of family.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
frederic_g54 | 10 97th |
(2nd viewing) Arguably PTA's best film together with Magnolia, ridiculously well made and entertaining; To think he made both of them before his 30’s is insane. The music and cinematography are put to great use, you can feel the Scorsese influence in almost every shot yet PTA makes the film his own. What makes both these movies close to perfect are the imperfect characters that inhabit them, and the strong and relatable familial themes that serves as the backbone for their personal journeys.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
recklessmess | 50 28th |
I heard the lead role was going to be offered to Curtis Armstrong, but he turned it down because he didn't want to be typecast. Oh, and it was going to be called Booger Nights, too. That seems important, somehow.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
NathanDarko | 98 98th |
The perfect cocktail of cast, score, script & acting. Paul Thomas Anderson counts to the greatest Directors of our time...You can write so much about that movie...just see & wonder.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
Ocelot | 75 81st |
"I'm gonna fuckin' be somebody ma! You'll see!" - Paul Thomas Anderson
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
omgfridge | 10 97th |
You must watch this. Its very important that you do. Arguably the most stylish film ever.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
d_r_e_s_ | 3 65th |
This movie is dope and why it took me such a long time to finally watch, I don't know. Great characters, great performances from every single actor, which has to be applauded towards the director. I want to say that it's an extremely well written script, but I have to point out, that some of it was off, especially the ending. I would personally have wanted for the downward spiral not to stop and this would have been rated much higher. *Good
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
PetrosTser | 60 40th |
Totally unremarkable. It's one of those films that pretend to be game-changing but are not. The cast includes some very good actors who don't deliver as much as you'd expect, the characters are underwritten but overacted, the script is half-baked and a bit silly, the direction is unable to make this genuinely entertaining and even the most profound or poignant moments collapse under their arrogance.
|
|||
2 | TnMovieFan2 | 99 94th |
|
One of the greatest movies of all time. This is basically the GoodFellas of porn. Contains one of the greatest soundtracks of all time and has my favorite movie moment in the history of cinema; the drug deal scene near the end. Filmaking doesn't get much better than this.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
Yiannos | 63 53rd |
PTA channels Scorsese and Altman. The ridiculously over-the-top claims for this film's supposed greatness have always eluded me. Its appeal is largely superficial: its subject is the porn industry, a topic that is rarely broached in mainstream cinema, and PTA mines the nostalgia for the 70s that was so prevalent in the 90s, often to cynical and humourous effect. But the film is ultimately a pretty conventional, although well made, rise and fall story. PTA went on to bigger and better things.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
joel-w-m | 7 64th |
I dunno, amidst all its characters and plot lines, in the end it lacks a certain, ahem, thrust, with no clear arc or, heh, climax to speak of (the hypnotic back-and-forth between limo and truck came close but didn't quite land). That said, its "slice of life" structure is certainly done very well, with the majority of its many characters and scenes quite memorable and mull-worthy (Reilly's earnest Reed and the dramatic/comedic drug deal probably top the list). Great music and camerawork too.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
Hawkins | 83 76th |
It's some small crime that Boogie Nights' extensive soundtrack doesn't actually include Heatwave's brilliant funk single of the same title, but PTA brings more than enough style to make up for it - that opening shot is a kingmaker. Maybe it all meanders a bit too much before making its parallel between anonymous sex and anonymous violence, and some of the ensemble players fall into this weird gulf where they should either be more fleshed out or less in the way. But man, does it have style.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
nobamba | 75 83rd |
Mark Wahlberg played a whiny kid well. Most of the supporting characters were memorable and left me wanting more, especially Heather Graham's Rollergirl and Burt Reynolds just being cool. Got quite Tarantino-like in the end. Fav scene: there was just something so tender about Julianne Moore's sex scene guiding Wahlberg juxtaposed against the closeup of the sterile mechanical camera lens zooming.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
MartinTeller | 90 94th |
I like Anderson, but pretty much everything he's done has been overrated. This is the only one I want to have in my collection. It's not perfect... PTA's a little too enamored with the tracking shots (although I like the I Am Cuba homage) and as good as the soundtrack is, it tends to overwhelm the film too often. But it's a gloriously fun movie, with memorable performances of memorable characters, and a lot of flashy style. There are so many scenes and snatches of dialogue that stick with you.
|
|||
1 | dazdncnfusd | 70 15th |
|
just another porno
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
yilb | 40 25th |
A surprising judgment on the sex industry as silly, and populated by stupid well meaning people. Ranges from the giddy and dull to the tense and violent. A couple early sex scenes start to tempt then are edited off, this is rarely a movie about sex. Most of the picture is filled with people snorting dope and looking acting or being pathetic.
|
|||
1 | CatScandal | 63 48th |
|
A sad waste of an awesome setting, potentially interesting themes, and good cinematography on an ultimately generic storyline.
|
|||
1 | Tate | 98 97th |
|
Borrows from Altman, but is a really great and mostly original and heavily odd family film. Note: Not a film for families, but about one. Sort of a Godfather of Porno.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
TheDiceman | 85 98th |
Great film.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Ytadel | 8 93rd |
A highly entertaining portrait of Los Angeles decadence in the late 70s and early 80s. The ensemble of talent assembled is pretty mind-blowing.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Vince Leo (Qwipster's Movie Reviews) | 77 80th |
Contains more great characters and scenes than most movies deliver nowadays, and definitely is worth watching for no other reason than to view one of Hollywood's major filmmaking talents in action.
|
|||
1 | slackerish | 95 94th |
|
An orgy of great 80s music, fantastic acting, and of course, drugs, sex, and violence. From a film-making standpoint, it's one of the best films of the 90s.
|
|||
1 | gleeb | 67 27th |
|
Tiring in its length, it's basically Less Than Zero with screwing. Characters use too much coke in LA in the 80s and fuck up their lives.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Nathan S | 4 74th |
As many have mentioned, Anderson wears his influences on his sleeve here. Part of me had trouble getting over this, and there were times when I couldn't help but feel that it was mere Altman and Scorsese imitation. But it is very colorful and extremely funny, and towards the end it achieves an unexpected note of poignancy.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
weirdyoda | 96 96th |
Sooooooooooo FUCKing great. From the choreographed opening long take to the God Only Knows finale montage. All the actors are baller. Yeah...the movie is the shit.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
caiman | 95 98th |
This movie is brimming with life the way few movies are. It lives and breathes of its own accord and isn't forced to exist within any sets of cinematic rules. Shots take their time when they need to and characters say the things real people say; not to service a plot, but to make us know who they are. Every actor here is mesmerizing. This is the only thing Wahlberg has been great in. He was simply born to play this role. This is a fun, hilarious, entrancing movie that will never age.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
TedDedon | 87 78th |
It's hard to beat the young auteur P.T. Anderson. With his completely masterful hold on the tone and style of this film, Boogie Nights excels as one of the strongest ensemble style films of the 90's. Drawing influence from Robert Altman, Anderson places you in the 70's and 80's pornography industry with a hell of a cast and great music depicting the era with a pitch-perfect style. Boogie Nights is fantastic and is just another notch of excellence for P.T. Anderson.
|
|||
1 | pantone801 | 60 38th |
|
I love the scene when he flops it out. This is really a bit of a sad film, but a very interesting insight into the world of 70's porn.
|
|||
1 | tejascarl | 80 25th |
|
You aint the boss of me!
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
fyngyrz | 8 24th |
Could have been better; was a good idea for a film, though.
|
|||
1 | st_fly | 45 46th |
|
A movie about the porno industry (probably about Peter North), Ok
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
KasperL | 80 86th |
Anderson likes to show off, and - like his protagonist, Dirk Diggler - he has plenty of reason to. But it's his characters (and the groovy ensemble cast portraying them) that make his second film so good.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
LookingLand | 30 30th |
didn't like this.
|
|||
1 | Manhatta | 95 88th |
|
Absolute sensory overload, maybe a little too film-geeky but a disturbing masterpiece nonetheless. Features both my favorite disco dance scene and suicide scene.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
ubermensch | 70 13th |
not a masterpiece, kind of a mockumentary, slowly approaching to its aim.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Timon88 | 61 55th |
A fond, nostalgic take on the porn business of the '70's and '80's. Good writing (although the script has a few glaring anachronisms of slang usage), engaging plot, and a lot of excellent performances. So many that it's hard to single them out, but Burt Reynolds obviously enjoys playing a porn mogul so much he seems to have born to it, and William H. Macy is his usual fantastic. The excesses of the downward spiral get to be a bit much, but there's a sweet, redemptive ending to offset them.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Va3H | 87 53rd |
An excellent film not only about the pornographic industry of late 70s and 80s, but the strife surrounding the opulence and drug infested era. Featuring a superb ensemble of Hoffman, Reynolds, Moore, and Wahlberg whom gives his best performance to date is dripping with total sex appeal. Nonetheless, Boogie Nights labors too long over its theme of love or absence thereof, thereby succumbing to parts of the plot becoming unprogressive. Yet, in the end, all Diggler wanted is to be loved, and he is.
|
|||
1 | davebirch | 85 44th |
|
'Goodfellas' in the porn world. The rise and fall of 'Dirk Diggler', a nobody who becomes a, ahem, huge porn star due to his rather large manhood. Funny and sad equally, a fantastic soundtrack and cast, as well as some good old fasioned nudity....
|
|||
1 | torus | 10 14th |
|
BAD
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Obdurate | 75 52nd |
It's got good to great performances by everyone but Wahlberg would be the biggest surprise. People like Julianne Moore it's to be expected. Most of the time PTA's direction was quite good at encapsulating the era and porn industry, but some of the shots felt out of place. I also didn't care as much about the characters as I should have considering their arcs. For the most part it's a well told story but I'm clearly not as into it as everyone else.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
XakkMaster | 93 94th |
Wahlberg's charisma and likability really win you over, making his story all the more interesting and his troubles equally frustrating. All the characters here are really fleshed out and the acting is terrific. Excellent music, stellar camera work.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
INDYATMN | 79 54th |
Extremely well-crafted but so bloated w/ story and characters it can't help dragging at spots. Still, some great scenes and acting interspersed throughout.
|
|||
1 | Gismondi | 75 23rd |
|
An interesting look inside the porn industry of 1970s and 1980s. Perhaps a bit predictable, but worthwhile drama.
|
|||
1 | juicestice | 75 43rd |
|
Stunning movie, star studded, very bizarre and a hilarious "insight" solid performances, but not exactly what i look for in a movie.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
canadianor | 30 18th |
At the risk of making a dirty joke, I have to say 'Boogie Nights' was much too long. I'm all for a good character study, even one that focuses on a makeshift "family", like this film does here. The issue is that it has nothing to say about the characters or the topic. They're in porn because they like sex and some aren't really good at anything else. If it takes ten minutes to set up a joke, is the joke really worth it in the end? The tone and music are spot on, but it's not enough without plot.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
ewp805 | 90 94th |
Not much more to be said about Boogie Nights that hasn't been mentioned already. One of the few ensemble casts where everyone really clicked and acted their hearts out. PTA's story he crafts through his characters and masterful camerawork excels here, all wrapped up with an awesome soundtrack setting the tone and driving it home.
|
|||
1 | pompousass | 40 71st |
|
A movie that needed, that cried out, to be made: a hefty slice of heretofore unsampled cultural history, carved out of the San Fernando Valley, cradle of the porn-film industry. The precise snippet of the timeline -- sufficiently lengthy to qualify as "epic," especially at a two-and-a-half-hour running time -- could hardly have been more strategically selected. A cheerful spectacle of people doing the best they can, however abysmal their level of ability.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Seryxa | 50 67th |
An entertaining and sometimes savage account of the last moments of hard-core films, just before the industry switched to video; witty and satiric for much of the time, it is spoilt by its use of gratuitous violence to overcome its narrative flaws.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
JacoIII | 45 85th |
Great movie! No matter what you think of the subject matter no one can deny Paul Thomas Anderson's ability behind the camera. Mark Wahlberg's performance is pretty astounding, he careens from young idealistic porn star to drugged up washout with a big dick... and it all feels natural.
|
|||
1 | draven88 | 87 45th |
|
heather graham fully nude, burt reynolds and a couple others were good. mark wahlberg was ehhhhhh.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
FunkyAstro | 95 97th |
Why it took me so long to see Boogie Nights I will never know. It captures the wonderful era of that smooth transition from the 70's to the 80's, specifically around that blip in time when porn aspired to be more than just two people screwing on camera. Wahlberg nails his role as Dirk from young adolescent to experienced show horse. This easily could have been a flop had it not been for PTA's very apparent style. His ability to capture the essence of life is what makes him a master of film.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
SirStuckey | 95 97th |
A movie about porn starring Marky Mark getting a score of 96 may surprise you, but this really is an extremely well made film. The characters are all flawed but viewers can relate to them. The story is complex and engaging. It feels very similar to Magnolia, but I enjoyed it a lot more. Doesn't quite reach perfection as it can get a little long when it doesn't need to, but it is still one of the most entertaining movie experiences you can have.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Anselmi86 | 94 94th |
American cinema's first introduction to the genius that is Paul Thomas Anderson. I simply can't get enough of this movie. One of the most interesting and enjoyable reflections on the 1970s that I've ever seen.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
aney | 84 91st |
Mark Wahlberg finally manages not to suck completely, which is a miracle in itself. Great story, great acting, great music. An all around great movie.
|
|||
1 | Launch | 90 92nd |
|
Don't let the synopsis to "Boogie Nights" fool you, it's a film about family. With some wickedly funny lines, brilliant direction and one of the most amazing casts ever assembled "Boogie Nights" is definately Paul Thomas Anderson's defining masterpeice.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Bown | 90 92nd |
PTA is really fantastic. I have no problem with him being showy, or trying to be Scorsese, when it leads to the great shots and scenes here. Reynolds and Moore were brilliant, and I finally see what Wahlberg has been coasting off for so long. Despite some weird pacing issues around the middle and very end, I was consistently blown away by the writing, cinematography, and overall style.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Room237 | 85 45th |
Roller chick gets nailed by a foot long. And I'm not talking about the Subway kind. Everything after that is a bit of a blur.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
mwgerb | 80 95th |
A raunchier, golden-era porn version of the late 20th century rise and fall story that has generated so many classics. The question is, what is the relation of this to those mentioned masterpieces: is it a spoof, an homage, an equal? My money is on the latter. Anderson has a mastery over his visuals and cast that makes this more than worthy to stand among the greats.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
billkerwin | 88 78th |
An absorbing exploration of the personalities and perils of the porno business.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
etcetera | 45 5th |
Didn't finish it. I wasn't offended by it, just thought it was boring. I'll probably give it another shot at some point but my first impression was not a good one. I did like the music though.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
overrated | 96 99th |
"My fucking wife has an ass in her cock over in the driveway, alright!" The attempted robbery with Molina towards the end is a legit top five scene in all of cinema.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Cinema_Asia | 85 92nd |
A lesser director could have easily turned this into a lurid exploitation film. Anderson creates sympathy, love, and even sadness at the plight of the characters as they live through their highs and lows. The sad Fellini inspired carnival theme music and use of camera technique immerses us into the strange drug and sex frenzy of the 70-80's porn world. The cast is one of the best ever and Anderson even managed to coax out a great performance from Burt Reynolds.
|
|||
1 | gcg1988 | 89 35th |
|
Dirk Diggler
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
johnny geo | 85 88th |
more scorsese than scorsese.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
gorejunky | 80 39th |
Had some interesting elements and the story was certainly very creative. The cast is also very good. The ending makes the entire film.
|
|||
1 | waddayanuts | 68 30th |
|
Anderson's brilliantly playful camera work makes this a very entertaining film the first time around. Yet on subsequent viewings it feels a bit shallow and today I honestly can't think of it as anything more than just Anderson playing with his camera. It was fun while it lasted.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
hellboy76 | 75 92nd |
I really enjoy this movie for its dramatical sense and comedic timing. It has an excellent soundtrack and a great cast. PTA is one of the best directors working today and should be given a medal for finding a perfect way to use Wahlbergs natural sounding stupidity and ignorance.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Noblet | 88 91st |
It's a long movie, but I was never bored. This is the first Paul Thomas Anderson movie that I've seen and I was very impressed. There are tons and tons of memorable characters supported by great acting. Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, John C. Reilly and Don Cheadle stood out the most to me, but everyone else was great as well.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
stuie299 | 65 22nd |
The first half is slow and boring. Typical PTA with his trademark needlessly drawn out scenes. The second half, while a bit redeeming isn't enough to save this film. Plus the subject matter only detracts from the film. Everything just feels cheesy and underwhelming because of it. BTW WTF was the point of the last part of the last scene?
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
DetoxP | 1 0th |
Obvious Paul Thomas Anderson enjoys Goodfellas, because Boogie Nights is essentially that, except with porn stars instead of gangsters. And that's a good thing, because Anderson channels Scorcese here to good effect. Sure, Boogie Nights is a little bloated and could've done with a trim, but it's still a great movie with some really great performances. Also: Heather Graham. Goddamn. Score is not a grade.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
NothingsGood | 35 27th |
P.T. Anderson's first major feature follows the coming-of-age exploits of a young man thrust into the 70s porn scene. A movie more beloved for his shock and awe value than its actual quality, Boogie Nights says very little and serves as a perfect building block for Anderson's eventual career of near hits.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
CMonster | 89 90th |
Write your own dick joke, I'm to busy doing working on my impressions of PSH and the dude singing Jesse's Girl.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
eCitizen | 10 2nd |
Normally I love these actors, but this was super cheesy and mostly stupid. I really hated all the mock interviews, those were extremely boring and ruined the movie. The music was also very dated and bad. I couldn't make it through the entire movie. I suppose it might have gotten better, but I really doubt it.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
The Pirate | 91 94th |
I went into this thinking, "How good can a movie about porn really be?" Never have I been so wrong in judging a film before watching it. The opening tracking shot hooked me, the rest of the movie spoke for itself. This truly is P.T. Anderson's GoodFellas.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
disconnected | 61 36th |
Second to Hard Eight as the weakest film I've seen from PT Anderson, but I imagine it would have been quite different had I originally seen this in 1997, before I knew that he was capable of There Will Be Blood and The Master, each ranking easily among the most singular and most extraordinary films ever made. There are some great moments, especially those that use pop music to poetic effect, but there are too many familiar beats and it starts in a better place than it ends.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
thehynes | 41 15th |
If you want something salacious go and watch porn instead, if you want something entertaining go and watch,err,something entertaining. This isnt it. Jeeeesus,why oh why does it drag on and on and on for 2 and a half hours?Criminal. For those of you still awake at the end...yes,Wahlberg really is hung like a horse
|
|||
1 | bradleyb | 92 64th |
|
How anyone actually pulled off writing a sympathetic and credible screenplay about a genre that seems almost to define self-satire is quite beyond me, but the miracle is achieved here.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
adouble | 96 98th |
Everything in this movie is virtually perfect. Stunning directing(those tracking shots are some of the best I've ever seen), lead actors like Wahlberg, Moore, and Reynolds doing the best work of their career, and one of the best groups of characters actors you'll ever see in the supporting cast (Macy, Guzman, Reilly, Cheadle, PS Hoffman, Molina, and Phillip Baker Hall is an absolutely incredible lineup)
|
|||
1 | doctortupac | 63 37th |
|
PTA isn't a bad director, I just don't think he's worthy of that much attention. His films just don't have a lot to communicate, there isn't a whole hell of a lot to engage with. Boogie Nights has some interestingly staged sequences, the first time I saw it I remember thinking the scene where they try to trick the coke dealer was bizarre. But the 2nd time around, I just felt like it was contrived. Was there any reason for the Asian kid to be there other than to make the audience uncomfortable?
|
|||
1 | Zeboim | 7 69th |
|
Too long for a feel-good film. Ending too happy and neat. Was room to expand some of the secondary character arcs. Brushes over some serious themes but never actually goes in depth.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
s2marcel | 15 11th |
might be the unfunniest film i've ever seen.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
juntakinte99 | 70 38th |
The film isn't fun enough to be entertainment, and is too stylized to be artistic. The script (full of aborted subplots) meanders. As such, the actors fill in the lack of story with their characterizations. PTA's direction is so overdone you can practically hear the commentary on how he used his camera, editing, and music to create all the cocaine use montages. The redeeming bit is the lesson that comes from a dysfunctional foster family battling adversities. Marginal recommendation.
|
|||
1 | Mr.Happy | 71 30th |
|
Not my favorite genre of comedy, I'm not sure how/whether to recommend it. It has a few good laugh and great idea's like the roller girl character. Can't say I'll ever want to rewatch it apart from maybe the roller girl scenes and jokes.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
thereeldeal | 80 80th |
Boogie Nights mostly feels like Anderson leaning on Scorsese, attempting one of his debaucherous epics. Similarly, it runs out of steam near the end, and not so similarly it makes a significant mistake of focusing so much on drama when the movie's characters are entrenched in parody. Show us a life worth living that no one would ever want to live and slap excellent black music on top of it and you've got a highly appealing movie, but who gives a shit about the conflict of Roller Girl?
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
amazedemon | 61 25th |
My main gripe with Boogie Nights is that I never sympathised with Wahlberg, leaving me relatively uninvested for the majority of the film. His performance his decent, as he plays the moronic abuser well, but it wasn't entertaining. The rest of the cast were great. Anderson's direction is good, but the setting and story left me feeling bored. Ultimately I just wanted more Cheadle and Graham, and less of everything else.
|
|||
1 | TBW | 35 6th |
|
Sort of like vampires and zombies, the porn world is completely uninteresting to me. Didn't care about a single character in the film
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
cairosmith | 70 68th |
A 20th Century Fox reader described the first draft of this script as 'Poor -- No Cohesion.' While PTA is a masterstroke director, he's fighting his own disjointed writing every step of the way as he tries to build this ridiculous epic into a serious, watchable film. He mostly succeeds.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
skap | 90 75th |
The so-stupid-it's-funny side is surprisingly dominant (you could almost substitute Ben Stiller for Wahlberg in most of the scenes without altering the mood). It's certainly intentional. Which makes me think that all the Altman and Scorsese "influences" are just part of the joke. It's the classy direction that fools everybody. Like a joke told so seriously you don't get it's a joke. It's 98% wacky comedy, 2% drama, at best. That said, it's first class entertainment.
|
|||
1 | ralyto | 70 38th |
|
It was funny and interesting, but nothing striked me.
|
|||
1 | Zangin | 90 95th |
|
An excellently made and surprisingly wholesome film about the meaning of family.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
IsaacM | 80 70th |
Hats off to PTA for taking the subject matter and making it watchable. This could of easily been exploitive or too dry, but instead the film is wonderfully balanced.
|
|||
1 | AnttiR | 79 35th |
|
Gets worse towards the end. But few great characters and performances, thus almost 80.
|
|||
1 | sourheart | 3 36th |
|
Would like to rewatch. loved when 16
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
edward | 72 53rd |
Another example of Marky Mark ruining a perfectly good movie.
|
|||
1 | johnnyaluc | 85 34th |
|
A romp. With a brilliant performance from Burt Reynolds.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
JonnyHalftab | 91 93rd |
PTA retroactively invents the playlist and pioneers the BangBus. Career performances from Wahlberg, Reilly, and Cheadle, a marvelously realized time period, and a whole lot of fun
|
Displaying 1 to 250 of 313 total ratings: Prev | Next
Average Percentile 67.43% from 8616 Ratings | ![]() |