Set in 1977, back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, idealistic porn producer Jack Horner aspires to elevate his craft to an art form. Horner discovers Eddie Adams, a hot young talent working as a busboy in a nightclub, and welcomes him into the extended family of movie-makers, misfits and hangers-on that are always around. Adams' rise from nobody to a celebrity adult entertainer is meteoric, and soon the whole world seems to know his porn alter ego, "Dirk Diggler". Now, when disco and drugs are in vogue, fashion is in flux and the party never seems to stop, Adams' dreams of turning sex into stardom are about to collide with cold, hard reality.
Nominated for 3 Oscars. 36 wins & 64 nominations total
Top Critics Reviews
fresh:
With Boogie Nights we know we're not just watching episodes from disparate lives but a panorama of recent social history, rendered in bold, exuberant colors.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Jun 2002
fresh:
In terms of sweep, ambition and precocious cinematic competence, it heralds the arrival of a new talent.
– Wally Hammond,
Time Out,
9 Feb 2006
fresh:
Considering the potentially explosive nature of the yarn, set in the porn world, Anderson's strategy is remarkably nonjudgmental and nonsensationalistic, largely due to his love and respect for all the characters and his impressive storytelling skills.
– Emanuel Levy,
Variety,
1 May 2006
fresh:
Not since the mysteriously reclusive Terrence Malick has there been such an explosion of sheer talent on the American movie scene.
– Andrew Sarris,
New York Observer,
27 Apr 2007
fresh:
Boogie Nights, an epic tale of porn, pleasure, and excess, offers a purer hit of exhilaration than any movie this year.