The cast is exceptional. Mark Wahlberg is great as "Dirk Diggler," a young newbie in the porno scene. Burt Reynolds (wearing the worst wig ever put on film) has perhaps the best dramatic performance of his career as the director and ringleader to the circus of misfits. Heather Graham is superb as "Rollergirl," a porno actress who wears her roller skates at all times, regardless of what (who) she's doing. Don Cheadle as Buck is probably the most sympathetic character in the film. The last film I saw Don Cheadle in was "Volcano," an entertaining disaster film that followed every cliche in the book. Cheadle impressed me in "Volcano," and he impressed me again in "Boogie Nights." He's now looking to write and direct, and I'm sure he'll do great, but he really is a phenomenal actor.
Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed "Boogie Nights" with the flare of a Scorsese gangster flick, and there are some shots in particular that are obviously Scorsese-inspired. His dialog is very realistic, and it's some of the most entertaining parts of the movie. His first film, "Hard Eight," was a success critically, but made little in the box office. I haven't seen it, but after seeing "Boogie Nights," I may go to the video store to check it out. He has an interesting style that I like.
There are
great moments and powerful scenes that I'll probably never forget, but at
two and a half hours, it was too long. I mean, don't get me wrong, if it's
appropriate, I LIKE long movies. A two-hour version of "Schindler's List"
would be an abomination! It's just that "Boogie Nights" didn't seem like
it shoulda been that long. Still, it's a very good movie that has quirky
characters, great dialogue, wonderful acting, and a chick who wears skates
while she has sex.