Paul Thomas Andersons “Boogie Nights” actually has a good quarter of a century under its belt. Despite this, the film is still as funny, sad, touching and fresh as the day it came out in 1997. No wonder we gave it the highest five-star rating in our FILMSTARTS review, elevating it to the status of a masterpiece. If you’re not familiar with the grippingly written, brilliantly cast and staged tragic comedy, you urgently need to catch up. Everyone else will surely enjoy a Re-Watch.
“Boogie nights“ runs today, March 3, 2023 at 10:20 p.m. on Tele 5. The broadcaster offers a repeat on the following night of March 4 to 5 at 2.30 am.
If these dates do not suit you, but you still want to see the film, you will have to dig a little deeper into your pockets. Because it is currently not included in any of the usual streaming subscriptions. Online retailers such as Amazon offer “Boogie Nights” as a Blu-ray or DVD. Optionally, the FSK 16 title is also available for a fee as video-on-demand for streaming.
“Boogie Nights” on Tele 5: That’s the story
1977 in the San Fernando Valley, just outside Los Angeles: Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) works as a kitchen helper in a nightclub. One evening, the young man, who has just been evicted by his mother (Joanna Gleason), meets some big names from the local porn industry. Successful director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) sees potential in Eddie and invites him for an audition.
As part of this, Eddie has sex with starlet Rollergirl (Heather Graham) on Horner’s couch, while Horner and his star performer Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) watch the process with interest. Eddie’s good looks, his youthful charm, but above all his stamina in the act and his unusually large penis (13 inches, which corresponds to over 33 cm) convince the experienced professionals. That same night, Eddie moves into Horner’s guest bedroom and takes the pseudonym Dirk Diggler.
Over the next few days, Eddie shoots his first scenes and meets fellow actors such as Buck (Don Cheadle), TT (Luis Guzmán) and Reed (John C. Reilly). The gentlemen give him valuable tips, just like Horner’s film crew (Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman). Eddie’s performances are instant hits in XXX cinemas. He develops into one of the top stars in the industry and earns good money for the first time. At first, Eddie enjoys his new life to the fullest. But he soon has to realize that this also has some very, very dark downsides…
“Boogie Nights” with Leonardo DiCaprio?
Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s first choice for the role of Eddie/Dirk Diggler was actually Leonardo DiCaprio. He really liked the script and the role. However, he eventually had to decline because he had already confirmed his participation in James Cameron’s “Titanic” and the shooting of both films would take place at the same time. According to various reports, it was DiCaprio himself who encouraged Anderson to cast his “Jim Carroll: On the Streets of New York” co-star Mark Wahlberg.
Wahlberg should be grateful to this day for that recommendation. Finally, “Boogie Nights” gave the ex-rapper his final breakthrough as an actor. His appearance in the movie is probably largely responsible for the rise of the former pantyhose model to become one of the most popular movie heroes of the 21st century. Other important works by Wahlberg are The Departed, The Fighter, Three Kings and Ted.
Anderson himself was finally able to establish himself in Hollywood as well with his magnificently written, directed and produced mix of character drama and sometimes humorous, sometimes profound environmental studies. Initially regarded as a kind of “modern Robert Altman”, the filmmaker quickly developed his own style. In the following years he presented exceptional works such as “Magnolia”, “There Will Be Blood” or “Inherent Vice”. His latest work to date is “Licorice Pizza”, for which the Californian received three Oscar nominations (director, screenplay and best picture).
Burt Reynolds hated “Boogie Nights”.
And another man who benefited enormously from “Boogie Nights”: Burt Reynolds. The mime artist, who rose to world fame in the 1970s and 1980s with action comedies such as “A Smart Rascal” or “All Hell is Going on the Highway” and the excellent thriller “When Dying is Every One”, was deeply depressed in the career gap of the nineties. Nevertheless, he repeatedly turned down the role Anderson wrote directly for him, not wanting to be associated with the porn industry.
However, Paul Thomas Anderson did not give up and kept asking Reynolds until he finally agreed with his agent’s advice. On set, however, there were often loud arguments between the two. On at least one occasion, the actor reportedly even got physical and tried to punch the director with his fists. Fortunately, they still managed to get the job done.
However, after watching an early cut of the film, Reynolds was shocked by what he saw. Perhaps the most famous mustachioed man in Hollywood history was convinced that “Boogie Nights” was bad and would mean the end of his career. Angered, he fired his agent and strictly refused to do interviews or talk shows to promote the film.
A little later, however, Reynolds was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Jack Horner and he suddenly received a lot of offers for new projects. In the years that followed, he played “Driven” with Sylvester Stallone, “Second Chance – Everything will be fine” with Richard Dreyfuss and “Game without Rules” with Adam Sandler. In addition, he finally found sponsors to realize his own directorial work “Last Exit Hollywood”, which had been on hold for years.
Despite their heated arguments, Anderson offered Reynolds a starring role in his next film, the five-star masterpiece Magnolia. But he immediately refused and this time he stuck with it…
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