Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) is a troubled teen. He's all but dropped out of school, his mom hates his girlfriend and he has a crappy job washing dishes in a nightclub. But luckily it's the 70's and anyone can still do anything. A patron of the nightclub Eddie works at is Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) who happens to direct prono films. Jack decides that Eddie would be perfect for his films. Eddie has his audition later that night on Jack's couch with Rollergirl (Heather Graham). Eddie changes his name to Dirk Diggler and is soon staring in his own films. Dirk becomes the biggest thing the pornography trade has ever seen, but we all know those who rise to greatness are destine to fall. Eddie/Dirk is not the only one whose story is told. There is Reed Rothchild (John C. Rielly) who becomes Dirk's best friend, and Buck Swope (Don Cheadle) who dreams of leaving porn behind and opening a stereo store. Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) acts as Dirk's surrogate mother and his co-star while trying to get custody of her own duaghter. The constant between all these stories is Jack and his house which serves as a set and a sanctuary for all involved. This movie is not in a hurry to have it's tale told. It meanders for one point to the next, leaving the viewer to wonder if it will ever end. BN does not make porno films the focal point, instead it shows the behind the scenes action which appears to be almost boring. There are quite a few comedic moments too, the best centering on Jack's assistant director and his wife's desire to have sex, usually in public, with anyone but her husband. Boogie Nights is a good movie that could have been better had it trimmed some fat.
