Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3442 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-05-21
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 149 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Even if the notorious 1970s porn-filmmaking milieu doesn't exactly turn you on, don't let it turn you off to this movie's extraordinary virtues, either. Boogie Nights is one of the key movies of the 1990s and among the most ambitious and exuberantly alive American movies in years. It's also the breakthrough for an amazing new director, whose dazzling kaleidoscopic style here recalls the Robert Altman of Nashville and the Martin Scorsese of Good Fellas. Although loosely based on the sleazy life and times of real-life porn legend John Holmes, at heart it's a classic Hollywood rise-and-fall fable: a naive, good-looking young busboy is discovered in a San Fernando Valley disco by a famous motion picture producer, becomes a hotshot movie star, lives the high life and then loses everything when he gets too big for his britches, succumbs to insobriety and is left behind by new times and new technology. Of course, it isn't exactly A Star Is Born or Singin' in the Rain. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (in only his second feature!) puts his own affectionately sardonic twist on the old showbiz biopic formula: the ambitious upstart changes his name and achieves stardom in porno films as "Dirk Diggler." Instead of drinking to excess, he snorts cocaine (the classic drug of 70s hedonism); and it's the coming of home video (rather than talkies) that helps to dash his big-screen dreams. As for the britches ... well, the controversial "money shot" explains everything. And the cast is one of the great ensembles of the 90s, including Oscar nominees Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore, Mark Wahlberg (who really can act--from the waist up, too!), Heather Graham (as Rollergirl), William H. Macy, John C. Reilly and Ricky Jay. --Jim Emerson

Special Features
16:9 Wide Screen
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Interviews
Interactive Menu
English

Synopsis
It's Los Angeles, 1977, and adult film director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) meets Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), a well-endowed dishwasher in a nightclub. Jack recruits Eddie to be his newest star and Eddie, hungry for fame, quickly agrees, changing his name to Dirk Diggler. Soon Dirk is the hottest star in the porn industry, alongside Rollergirl (Heather Graham), a high school dropout who never removes her roller skates, and Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), the veteran star who pines for the son she's not allowed to visit. On the fringes, Little Bill (William H. Macy) fumes while his wife cheats on him in public, and Buck Swope (Don Cheadle) tries to escape the stigma of being a porn actor. The good times roll, but before long Dirk falls victim to the pressures of stardom and a drug habit that ruins his career while Jack struggles with porn's conversion from film to cheaper videotapes. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's breakthrough film is an exhilarating ride along the underbelly of the 1970s inspired by the films of Altman and Scorsese, featuring colorful camera work, a dynamic soundtrack, and excellent performances from the entire cast, most notably Reynolds in an Oscar-nominated comeback role.

Customer Reviews

oh dear!
I can't understand why this is such a highly rated film!! There is nothing good about it except mindless violence, drug taking and stupid sexual innuendos. Fair enough this film is based on the porn industry so I would be a bit confused if there was no sex in it whatsoever but it's just the way it's shot and acted that seems so tacky. I apologize to people who have put this at the top of their hundred greatest films list but I really disliked it!

Oh What A Night!!
Ok before i start my review of this movie/DVD please note that the comments other people have made about the aspect ration being messed up are wrong! I found no problem what so ever with this disc and there was certainly no "oogie Nights" at the start!
Now onto the movie....
This film rightly deserves to be called a classic. Why? Becuase it's unique. There have been a few imitations (Wonderland is one) but non have ever come close to the sheer power and honesty of this movie. Many people see the porn industy as glamour and non stop partying. But as this movie proves there is much more to it. These people have lives and, just like you and i, they have problems. The film starts off charting the rise to fame of "Dirk Diggler" the new boy in the porn industry. And "rise" he does....but, when he falls, boy does he fall. And that is where this story really comes into it's own. The domino effect created by Dirk's downfall is one of the most gut-wrenching things you'll ever see. But it's not all doom and gloom. Boogie Nights has a sense of fun. It has a sense of what it was like to live amongst the most hedonistic of times...and that is a sheer joy to witness. All in all this movie is a must see. It's not only beautifully filmed but the acting is A+ Wahlberg is astounding as Diggler as are co-stars Heather Graham and Julieann Moore. But for me the film is completely stolen by three people:
Burt Reynolds who gives the best performace he's ever done!
Phillip Seymore Hoffman as the twitchy Scotty J
And Willam H Macy as the much dumped on Little Bill.
All in all it's s stellar cast and a phenominal movie!

As for the DVD there is one thing that irked me: Why a two disc set for such a poor set of extras?
Disc one has nothing more than a couple of commentaries. The first of which is a brilliant and insightful one by director P.T. Anderson.
The second one is rather boring as it features the cast and the director drunk and simply praising each other for the full 2 1/2 hours!
Disc two has a 10 deleted scenes, Talent profiles (of both the actors and their characters), The john C Reilly files (nothing more than three clips of his improvisations during the shooting of the movie), A music Video of a song that wasn't in the film and....that's it!! No trailers,no "Making Of", nothing.
In a way i'm sort of glad that it is a two disc set though because the film is presented in a much better bitrate and look amazing....but...i doubt it would have suffered much had the extras been moved onto the first disc.

So....if you want my advice....buy this movie...and buy it now!
Peace Out Baby!

One of the best films of the 90s (if not ever made)
Suprised to see more people hadnt given this film 5 stars (although evreyone is most certanly entitled to their own opinion) this movie shows you the dark side of the porn industry, this film is dark disturbing, funny, realistic and a film i truly belive diserves no less than 5 stars and for this price on amazon you realy cant go rong, truly one of the most entertaining films ever made.