Boogie Nights

1997

Boogie Nights

Critics Consensus

Grounded in strong characters, bold themes, and subtle storytelling, Boogie Nights is a groundbreaking film both for director P.T. Anderson and star Mark Wahlberg.

93%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 70

89%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 189,292

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Movie Info

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. Featuring an amazing, award-winning cast, including Mark Wahlberg ("The Departed," "We Own the Night"), Burt Reynolds ("Deliverance"), John C. Reilly ("Magnolia"), Julianne Moore ("Children of Men"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("State & Main"), Don Cheadle ("Talk to Me"), William H. Macy ("Bobby"), and many more.

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Cast

Mark Wahlberg
as Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler
Burt Reynolds
as Jack Horner
Julianne Moore
as Amber Waves
John C. Reilly
as Reed Rothchild
Don Cheadle
as Buck Swope
Heather Graham
as Rollergirl
Luis Guzman
as Maurice T. Rodriguez
Philip Seymour Hoffman
as Scotty
William H. Macy
as Little Bill
Alfred Molina
as Rahad Jackson
Philip Baker Hall
as Floyd Gondolli
Robert Ridgely
as The Colonel
Melora Walters
as Jessie St. Vincent
Nina Hartley
as Little Bill's Wife
Thomas Jane
as Todd Parker
Ricky Jay
as Kurt Longjohn
Stanley DeSantis
as Jerry, Buck's Manager
Michael Jace
as Jerome
Howard Morris
as Mr. Brown
Joanna Gleason
as Dirk's Mother
Laurel Holloman
as Sheryl Lynn
Jack Wallace
as Rocky
Don Amendolia
as Bank Worker
Jason Andrews
as Johnny, the Colonel's Limo Driver
Samson Barkhordarian
as Hot Traxx Chef
Brad Braeden
as Big Stud
Kevin Breznahan
as Sheryl Lynn's Husband
Rico Bueno
as Hot Traxx Waiter
Jose Chaidez
as Puerto Rican Kid
Joe GM Chan
as Rahad's Asian Kid, Cosmo
Dustin Courtney
as Donut Boy
Jake Cross
as Watcher No. 2
Gregory Daniel
as Minister
John Doe
as Thomas, Amber's Husband
Tom Dorfmeister
as Watcher No. 1
Robert Downey Sr.
as Burt, Recording Studio Manager
Patricia Forte
as Teacher
Jamielyn
as Colonel's Girlfriend at Hot Traxx
Goliath
as Tyrone
Allan Graf
as Man with Gun
Laura Gronewald
as Angie, Floyd's Kid
Vernon Guichard II
as Mugsy Jack's Bartender
Mike Gunther
as Surfer Punk No. 2
Veronica Hart
as Judge
Lawrence Hudd
as Dirk's Father
Amber Hunter
as Colonel's O.D. Lady Friend
Ron Jeremy
as Jail Guard
B. Philly Johnson
as Rahad's Bodyguard
Israel Juarbe
as Maurice's Brother No. 1
Raymond Laboriel
as Hot Traxx Patron
Greg Lauren
as Young Stud
Loren Lazerine
as Police Officer
Henry Lee
as Tailor
Lexi Leigh
as Amateur Actress, Floyd's Kid
Thomas Lenk
as Tommy, Floyd's Kid
Kai Lennox
as High School/College Kid
Selwyn Emerson Miller
as Hot Traxx DJ
Michael Penn
as Nick, Recording Studio Engineer
Jonathan Quint
as Johnny Doe
George Anthony Rae
as Maurice's Brother No. 2
Leslie Redden
as KC Sunshine
Jack Riley
as Lawyer
Cannon Roe
as Surfer
Skye
as Jacuzzi Girl No. 1
Alexander D. Slanger
as Pete, Floyd's Kid
Michael Raye Smith
as Surfer Punk No. 1
Melissa Spell
as Becky's Friend in Hot Traxx
Michael Stein
as Super-Duper Stereo Customer
Michael Scott Stencil
as Surfer Punk No. 3
Summer Cummings
as Jacuzzi Girl No. 2
Tony Tedeschi
as New Year's Eve Young Stud
Eric Winzenried
as Doctor
Jody Wood
as Pedestrian
Sharon Ferrol
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Anne Fletcher
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Scott Fowler
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Melanie A. Gage
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Eddie Garcia
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Sebastian Lacause
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Lance MacDonald
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Diane Mizota
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Nathan Frederic Prevost
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Lisa E. Ratzin
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Dee Dee Weathers
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Darrel W. Wright
as Hot Traxx Dancer
Jon Brion
as Awards Ceremony Band Member
Brian Kehew
as Awards Ceremony Band Member
Robin Sharp
as Awards Ceremony Band Member
Audrey Wiechman
as Awards Ceremony Band Member
Tim 'Stuffy' Soronen
as Raphael
Nicole Ari Parker
as Becky Barnett
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News & Interviews for Boogie Nights

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Critic Reviews for Boogie Nights

All Critics (70) | Top Critics (14)

  • A beautifully made survey of '70s excess, filtered through the trashy world of the burgeoning porno film industry in southern California.

    Mar 28, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    Gene Siskel

    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic

  • The pop 1970s were typified in part by cheesy fashions, ephemeral music and a regular diet of daring, cutting-edge movies that arguably made that decade Hollywood's richest. Blistering Boogie Nights recaptures the spirit of that time on all three counts.

    Jan 9, 2018 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

    Mike Clark

    USA Today
    Top Critic

  • Boogie Nights, an epic tale of porn, pleasure, and excess, offers a purer hit of exhilaration than any movie this year.

    Feb 4, 2010 | Rating: A | Full Review…

    Owen Gleiberman

    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic

  • Not since the mysteriously reclusive Terrence Malick has there been such an explosion of sheer talent on the American movie scene.

    Apr 27, 2007 | Full Review…

    Andrew Sarris

    Observer
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    May 1, 2006 | Rating: 5/5

    Emanuel Levy

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • In terms of sweep, ambition and precocious cinematic competence, it heralds the arrival of a new talent.

    Feb 9, 2006 | Full Review…

    Wally Hammond

    Time Out
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (70)

Audience Reviews for Boogie Nights

  • Mar 05, 2017
    An unsettling film about what goes on in the pornography industry. Wahlberg plays a young rising star in the industry trying to make a living in this dark world. It's a little overrated, aside from an interesting subject, the film itself has very little to offer.
    Sylvester K Super Reviewer
  • Jun 22, 2016
    Very interesting look into the late 1970s and early 1980s pornography industry. The drugs and sex are very much a part of this film. Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, and Burt Reynolds are all excellent in this film. The script is very well written and gives us a very clear trajectory for Dirk Diggler (Wahlberg) throughout the film that ends very appropriately.
    Patrick W Super Reviewer
  • Jun 01, 2014
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Mar 05, 2013
    I had high faith that Boogie Nights would be a great film, given Paul Thomas Anderson's impressive filmography: and I was not disappointed. He exposes the what goes on behind the camera in the porn industry which a majority of people who watch it are ignorant of. Anderson's knack for writing great characters is evident in Boogie Nights: from main protagonist and pornstar Dirk Diggler (Mark Whalberg), to Julianne Moore's preformance as an expiring actress to the loose canon drug dealer who comes into play towards the end (played by Alfred Molina). Between the interesting characters, the previously unexplored subject matter, and the gripping subplots weaving in seamlessly together makes for a well-written, memorable, and ultimately timeless film.
    Kevin M Super Reviewer
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