Rating: 
Summary: Style over substance
Review: Long overdue, we finally get a film about the porn industry during the 70s and early 80s. Obviously, Hollywood did not want to touch the subject, but Paul Thomas Anderson, realizing the fertile ground that largely lay unexplored, jumped in with both feet. And he has done an admirable job, even if one can sometimes see that he is borrowing from the likes of Scorsese and Altman, among others."Boogie Nights" tells the story of Eddie (Mark Wahlberg), a young busboy who rises to fame as porn star Dirk Diggler. Mark Wahlberg plays the kid who, early on, runs away from his parent's home to knock on the door of Jack Horner (well played by Burt Reynolds). Horner shoots films for the porn industry (this is at a time before videotape became the standard). He has a nice house, a nice car, and makes lots of money. He shares the house with Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) and the two function as sort of surrogate parents to Dirk. Other characters include Rollergirl (Heather Graham) who always wears skates - even during sex, Buck (Don Cheadle) who is into the cowboy look and whose day job is selling stereo equipment, and Reed (John C. Reilly) who quickly becomes Dirk's buddy. On the technical end there's the assistant director Little Bill (William H. Macy of "Fargo"), and cinematographer Ricky Jay (who I liked in David Mamet's "Homicide" and "House of Games"). What I really like about "Boogie Nights" is the way that Anderson contrasts style and subject. From the opening scene (one long uncut shot that recalls the opening of Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil") the style of the movie is nothing short of exciting and - in itself - is highly entertaining. What we are supposed to get excited about, however, is another story: the characters are mostly a sad, dull, simple-minded group. Anderson can't quite rise above a level of condescension here. In one scene, around Horner's pool, everyone's partying, doing cocaine and having fun when the phone rings. It's "some kid looking for his mother". At least one critic that I read noted that Anderson "plagiarized" a sequence from "Raging Bull". He's obviously a fan of Scorsese, but I can see nods to other filmmakers as well. The scene in Eddie's room, when the camera takes in all the posters on the wall is obviously taken from "Saturday Night Fever", right down to the same type of pictures: Farrah Fawcett, Bruce Lee, and Pacino as "Serpico".
Rating: 
Summary: Dirk Diggler you are the MAN!
Review: All I can say is WOW! Great acting by Bert,Marky Mark,and the whole crew. Nipsey never thought he would like this flick. But was he wrong. See it folks!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent ensemble cast enlivens this modern epic
Review: Boogie Nights is one of those films which captures the era of the late '70s and early '80s. It is not just about people who made porn films, it is a look at the ties which bound people during that hedonistic, confusing era and allowed them to cope--or not cope--with the issues of the day. Almost all of the cast shines, and Mark Wahlberg proves he can act. If you like this film check out Robert Altman's "Short Cuts," a criminally overlooked film released in 1993 which, like "Boogie Nights," is almost a "Nashville" for the 1990s. Feel, feel, feel, feel, feel the heat!
Rating:
Summary: Call me a pervert.....
Review: But I really loved this movie. The acting was great and it is probably the best movie of 97. It is really one of those movies though that never got as much recognition as it deserved. A lot of time and effort was put into the making of this movie and it shows. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to a family with children, but I really do think you should see this.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining and informative
Review: Boogie Nights depicts the struggle of adult film makers adapting to a changing America (70s-80s). Excellent performances and a slow pace to the film help make this enjoyable to watch and educational as well. It's too bad people only think of the very last scene when they think of this because it really was a good movie. In fact, that last scene was totally unnecessary and a rip-off of the ending to Raging Bull.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: This movie was well made, the stars were great, and most importantly Heather Graham was excellent as Roller Girl. Mark Wahlberg, and the rest of the cast do a great job portraying what the 70's were like in the porn industry. A great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Boogie Nights described in one word-- overrated
Review: I have no idea why this movie is so appealing to everyone. Another reviewer thought the characters in this movie were more likeable than those in Magnolia. I think the characterization in Magnolia is its major strength. In Boogie Nights I'm not sure which character was in the least bit likable even less respectable except for William Macy, Burt Reynolds, and the guy who opens the stereo store(sorry forgot his name). Mark Walbergh's character was pathetic. He's arrogant, shallow, and doesn't have any recognizably good qualities. Walberg's acting isn't anything special either. I was expecting more from the this movie after all the talk I've heard.
Rating: 
Summary: Pure Trash
Review: This movie is just overrated trash. It is boring, long, & there is really no point to it. I cannot see why people are giving it five stars & calling it one of the best ever. Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg is NOT a star, he cannot even act. Boogie Nights seems to drag on at times. There is very little of a plot to this terrible movie. Boogie Nights was like a porn movie a lot of times. Do not rent, buy, or even consider seeing this movie. Boogie Nights is just a waste of time and money. Don't even bother with it. NOT Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A REALISTIC PICTURE OF THE HARDCORE INDUSTRY IT AIN'T
Review: Since having seen this film and in a previous review where I thought ii"realistic," I have made a study of the adult film industry. As a result, I have found that this highly regarded and most entertaining film conveys some misconceptions about thatindustry. Firstly, if you look at the films in that period (the lateseventies), you'll find that much of the acting is quite good and the production values were quite high (it was not unusual for a porno film to be budgeted at $200,000). Sex scenes and nonsex dialogue or plot scenes ran about 50/50, unlike todays films which are almost all sex and have very few accomplished actor in them. Often foreign locales such as London were used as settings (see Marylin Chambers in "Insatiable," for example), and the sets could be quite elaborate. "Boogie Nights" suggests that only the cheapest of sets were used and the performers were a pack of semi retarded dolts, and that was just not true. Secondly, for the most part the performers did not congregate in well-knit groups, although some of that was done. Most went their separate lives after a scene or a film was shot. Some justwent home to the wife or husband and the kids. Christine Fugat, in her recent documentary "The Girl Next Door," tells of how much she was impressed by how "normal" these people seemed to her. Next, generally the women were not dumb and forced to work for menial wages; many of them were quite intelligent and just chose to work in that industry and aspired (unsuccessfully for the most part) to get into mainstream films, mainly for the money. Today, it is taken for granted that women rule that industry often setting the conditions under which they will work, the things they will and will not do, etc. Probably the most accurate depiction in the film was the debilitating effects video tape had on the quality of the films produced. There was a period in the 70's were "porno chic" was prominent. Even Roger Ebert gave a favorable review to "The Devil and Miss Jones," as I recall. People, often prominent ones, would wait in line to see such productions as "Deep Throat" and "Behind the Green Door." Marylin Chamberswas treated as a true star and stayed at the best hotels and appeared at grand openings, searchlights and all. Next, although cocaine use was widespread, that tended to be true of many professions in that era, including mainstream. Hollywood. The adult film industry was not a glaring exception. If the director "researched" the porn film industry, as he claims,I would suggest that he did a poor and one sided job of it. I still say his commentary track is one of the worst I have heard on a DVD. Perhaps I sound ike an apologist for dirty films, but I would ask that a fairer and more accurate depiction of that industry be made. Again, I refer to the Christine Fugat documentary.
Rating:
Summary: Boogie Nights-Should have won best picture!
Review: Film works on every level.Very entertaining filml of porno industry through almost 2 decades.Film captures 70s and early 80s look with clothing,hairstyles,attitude,music,etc.(soundtrack truly ROCKS!).Reynolds perfect in role as porn director with hot-redhead Julianne Moore as Amber Waves.This film has echoes of Scorsesse and Tarentino.Highly recommended this is!
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