DVD Review: Boogie Nights: Special Edition

[Guest TSMAdmin]

Boogie Nights: New Line Platinum Series Special Edition

 

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

 

Released by New Line Home Video

 

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Luis Guzman, Philip Baker Hall, Nicole Ari Parker and Thomas Jane

 

Rated R, 155 min.

 

The Movie:

 

“Everyone’s blessed with one special thing.” – Eddie Adams aka Dirk Diggler

 

Let’s not talk about Marky Mark, the Dirk Diggler character or the large prosthetic penis that this movie seems to revolve around for a second…let’s look deeper than just shock value.

 

P.T. Anderson’s Boogie Nights is a thoughtful film about an important period of change in the adult entertainment industry and is loosely based on the life of real porn star, John Holmes. It is also usually venomously lambasted by those within the business that it attempts to shed a light on.

 

Most who have chosen the porn profession feel that the film only shows the negative side of their vocation and that those involved are painted as dim-witted simpletons who possess no other real talents and are incapable of making it any other way. To them I say: the truth hurts, doesn’t it?

 

Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight) may not be an expert on the inner workings and behind-the-camera machinations of the flesh trade, but he does seem to understand the type of person who gets sucked in by it. I think it’s these knowledgeable character studies that force those in the business to look at themselves in a celluloid mirror and see themselves how the world-at-large sees them. When confronted with this unflinching truth, they don’t like it and their only recourse is to lash out, bitching about small details and moaning about minute inaccuracies. But just as they often do in real life, they miss the big picture.

 

The rock star lifestyle of a porn star is as complicated and painful as it is hedonistic and self-indulged. Boogie Nights does a fine job of showing us both sides of the coin equally. Sure, the characters wear pricey clothes and shoes by Italian designers who’s name they can’t even pronounce, drive fast and expensive cars, party all night and have tons of anonymous sex, but the price they ultimately pay for it all is equally as high:

 

The under-aged Rollergirl (Heather Graham) is compelled to quit school when one of her classmates recognizes her from a stag reel. Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) tries over and over in vain to gain custody of her only child, who isn’t allowed near her because of her lewd and drug-filled existence. In a storyline explored in one of the deleted scenes, Becky Barnett’s (Nicole Ari Parker) new husband is less than enthused when he discovers the truth about her line of work. The confused Buck Swope (Don Cheadle) can’t get a loan to start a legitimate business because of his affiliations with known pornographers. These are just a few of the dilemmas that befall the emotionally deficient and flawed “stars” in the Boogie Nights universe.

 

Every maladjusted character is on the outside of some part of society, looking desperately to be accepted. They all find that acceptance in their dysfunctional extended family of adult entrepreneurs and revel in it, despite the consequences and repercussions that their new family, fame and notoriety bring. While they struggle to find themselves, they struggle just as hard to show the world that they are talented (nearly every character is shown to have a side pursuit or passion that they wish to fall back on when they can no longer have sex for money); that they can achieve and they can do it all by their own rules. This makes each and every character oddly endearing; these grown men and women that are never forced to grow up and mature, still acting like 15 year old children yet playing very grown-up games.

 

Don Cheadle’s Buck Swope embodies this inner conflict perfectly. The late 70’s is rapidly becoming the 80’s and it is an awkward time for him and everyone around him. Everything is in a state of flux; the music, the fashion and especially the attitudes towards the adult entertainment business. Buck’s confusion over these areas eventually cost him his job. The only place that he isn’t judged or made to feel like an outcast is amongst maverick director Jack Horner, self-appointed maternal figure, Amber Waves and their outlaw world of hardcore sex.

 

The leap from the 70’s into the 80’s is an integral part of the feature, as the next decade ushers in a slew of problems for all of the characters. The gritty realism of the 80’s of the second half of the film provides a stark contrast to the first half’s light-hearted and carefree 70’s. Here the funny business is at an end and Boogie Nights now becomes a serious drama with some serious acting to go along with it.

 

In a bit of ominous foreshadowing, Little Bill (William H. Macy) sets the tone for the 80’s at the New Year’s Eve party with a surprisingly violent act for his repressed yet usually easy-going character. The hard drug use begins to ramp up and Burt Reynolds’ Jack Horner fights tooth and nail against the progression from film to video and not having adult films in theaters but shipping directly to people’s homes. (“You’re telling me the future is tape…videotape and not film? That it’s amateurs and not professionals?”, he fumes at one point, unable to see where the business is eventually headed) No longer do we see the Horner that wanted to elevate porno to an art form, who cared about stories and acting, but a disinterested Horner, who rarely takes part in editing his own films anymore and shows us the visible decline in the quality of porn reflected in his own world weary eyes. It’s not long before everyone else’s worlds start to crumble around them as well.

 

I don’t want to spoil the flick for anyone (or the (in)famous last shot), but no movie ending could come close to comparing to the real life of Dirk Diggler’s alter ego, John Holmes. There are many parts of Boogie Nights that are snatched directly from the life of John Holmes. These include:

 

-Of course, their shared reported 13” + penis length. Holmes was known to fall unconscious at times due to the rush of blood from his head to his "other" extremity.

 

-Dirk’s movie character, Brock Landers was modeled after the character that made Holmes famous and a household name, private eye, Johnny Wadd.

 

-Amber Waves’ “documentary” about Dirk was modeled after the 1981 documentary “Exhausted” about John Holmes, which was also shot by a woman in the industry, Suzanne Atamian aka Julia St. Innocent. In fact, the one scene where Dirk talks about Jack letting him block his own scenes was lifted word-for-word from Holmes’ conversation with his director, Bob Chinn. Exhausted was originally announced to be included on this special edition disc but for reasons unknown, it wasn't able to be included.

 

-John Holmes, like Dirk Diggler in the movie, suffered from bouts of impotence due to his heavy drug usage.

 

-The robbery of Eddie Nash at the end of the movie actually did take place, albeit with different results. In order to repay his massive drug debts, Holmes used to make runs and deal for Eddie Nash. Of course, Holmes snorts more than he sells and ends up owing his dealer, Nash, even more moolah. Because Nash and Holmes are good friends (Nash had bailed Holmes out of jail and I believe that Holmes had once given Nash his own girlfriend on Nash’s birthday) Holmes knew where Nash hid his money, drugs and other valuables. His back against the wall, strung out and strapped for cash, Holmes set Nash up to robbed by yet another drug smuggler whom he owed a large debt to.

 

The group robbed Nash blind of over $300,000 in cash and jewelry and pounds of narcotics. Holmes didn’t take part in the actual robbery but was crucial to the planning, drawing floor plans, describing where everything was hidden and even leaving a door unlocked for the robbers to enter the house. After the heist, the robbers gave Holmes what they believed was his fair share: $3,000. Holmes complained and was beaten up and tossed out on to the street.

 

Days later, Nash’s bodyguard caught up with Holmes and brought him to Nash, who questioned Holmes about his involvement in the robbery. Nash took Holmes’ address book and threatened to kill everyone in it if Holmes didn’t confess and identify his partners. Holmes complied.

 

In a particularly gruesome version of this story, Nash and about four or five of his guys went to the robbers’ hideout, led by Holmes. There, the robbers were bludgeoned to death while Holmes was held at gunpoint and forced to watch. These are known as the Wonderland or “Four-on-the-floor” murders. (coincidentally, this was the first time that police filmed a crime scene on videotape, much like the porn industry at the time) Holmes never did time for the killings, but did spend 111 days in the joint for contempt. Holmes never really got his life back on track after that and died penniless in 1988 from AIDS. His only concern was that his girlfriend view his body before he was cremated to ensure that he was all there. He didn’t want his notorious appendage to end up on someone’s mantle in a jar full of formaldehyde. His remains were scattered over the ocean. It’s not just a cliche when they say that the truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

 

The DVD:

 

The transfer for this disc is new and supervised by P.T. Anderson himself. You won’t be disappointed. The sound is as equally satisfying, especially when your speakers blare those classic 70’s disco and 80’s pop tunes that Anderson has managed to insert in just the right places throughout the movie.

 

This DVD sports two commentary tracks. One with just director Anderson (who absolutely LOVES to curse) and the second one with Anderson and members of the cast like Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly and Mark Wahlberg. There’s a great laid-back atmosphere for the second commentary and Reilly and Cheadle kept me laughing.

 

The second disc contains the supplemental material. This includes the John C. Reilly Files, which consist of mainly outtakes from the man who played Dirk Diggler’s loyal and often times funny friend, Reed Rothchild. There are ten deleted scenes, all with optional commentary available. Unlike the Reilly Files, the deleted scenes are not rough, but appear finished and the majority of them could have been left in the film. None of them really take away from the movie and most either offer more insight into a particular character or are just plain hilarious. These both apply to Luis Guzman’s “revelation” about himself to Rollergirl when he finally gets the opportunity to take part in one of her films.

 

If you’re a fan of the adult industry yourself, you may want to also keep an eye out for the numerous cameos in the film. Nina Hartley, Veronica Hart, Little Cinderella, Summer Cummings, Skye Blue and Tony Tedeschi all appear. “Make sure you use the color bars. Get those whites white and those blacks black.”, Anderson urges on the back of the box. I urge you to do the same. Use the color bars. Let them play for a minute or two. You may be in for a treat.

 

IMODO:

 

Whether you’re a fan of film, the history of X-rated entertainment or both, I implore you to check out this thought-provoking masterpiece. It’s worth every minute of the two and a half hours that it runs without ever really dragging or feeling as though it's that long. It's not so much about how Eddie Adams becomes the larger-than-life Dirk Diggler as it is about the entire industry and how drugs and just the progression of time changed it. Eddie, a poor kid who has an even poorer relationship with his family only serves to get us from point A to point B. Once, Eddie is off of the streets and adopted by his new "family", the focus becomes the plight of them all, not just Dirk.

 

This new disc offers only a few new features that weren't on the original release so you may want to think long and hard before upgrading just for the greatly improved video, audio and new commentary. But if you don't own the original this is a definite must-buy.

 

Highly Recommended.

 

O. R. Polk, Jr.