Boogie Nights (1997)
A Movie Review by Michael J. Legeros
Copyright 1997 by Michael J. Legeros
(New Line)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Don
Cheadle, Heather Graham, John C. Reilly, William H.
Macy, Nicole Parker, Luis Guzman, Philip Baker Hall,
Alfred Molina, Melora Walters, Robert Ridgely
MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for sex, drugs, nudity, you name it)
Running Time 148 minutes
Reviewed at The Janus, Greensboro, NC (01NOV97)
==
This over-praised ensemble drama that thinks it's an epic, set in the skin flick industry of late seventies L.A., ostensibly stars Mark Wahlberg (TRAVELLER, FEAR) as a troubled teen whose "natural endowment" attracts the attention of a renowned pornographer and, soon enough, has him plunging little-headfirst into the increasingly intoxicating world of sex, drugs, and disco. No, it's not the year's best movie-- not by a 13-inch long shot-- but it *is* frank, funny, and surprisingly poignant. (And, at times, quite exciting, with several exceptionally energized sequences, such as an explosive cocaine heist that happens late in the film.) The big dick problem of BOOGIE NIGHTS is an abruptly unfocused narrative, signaled in the second hour by an out-of-the-blue turn by Wahlberg's character. After he throws a hissy fit, we wander about for a good hour, never sure of which character we're following or why. Things *do* improve in the final reel, however, when writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (HARD EIGHT) scares several of the characters straight with three separate (and shocking) instances of violence. Still, with so many other accomplishments all under one roof-- camera work, set design, soundtrack, etc.-- this has gotta be an easy movie to overrate. BTW, how many of those TOUCH OF EVIL takes did P.T. pull off, anyway? With Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman, William H. Macy, and, in one of his best roles in years, Burt Reynolds.
Grade: B
-- Mike Legeros - Movie Hell http://www.nonvirtual.com/hell
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