Boogie Nights
1997
*****
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, Heather Graham, Nicole Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Paul Thomas Anderson's second film is a long but brilliant drama about Eddie Adams, a well-endowed young man who becomes a porn actor named Dirk Diggler. This is a wonderfully warm and funny portrayal of a close-knit "family" who have unconventional jobs, and a fascinating depiction of the porn industry from the golden age of the 1970 to the home video revolution in the early 1980s. The performances are terrific and Robert Elswit's camera work is stunning. The young Paul Thomas Anderson has directed it all with incredible confidence.
