Boogie Nights

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Boogie Nights

R

1997

2h 32m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

154 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

In the San Fernando Valley in 1977, teenage busboy Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) gets discovered by porn director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), who transforms him into adult-film sensation Dirk Diggler. Brought into a supportive circle of friends, including fellow actors Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Rollergirl (Heather Graham) and Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), Dirk fulfills all his ambitions, but a toxic combination of drugs and egotism threatens to take him back down.

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Critics Consensus

Grounded in strong characters, bold themes, and subtle storytelling, Boogie Nights is a groundbreaking film both for director P.T. Anderson and star Mark Wahlberg.

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Terry Lawson

Detroit Free Press

Boogie Nights is the bomb, that jolt of energy that keeps you going to last call, then sends you prowling for something to sustain the rush. Don't bother. Nearly any other movie after this is certain to seem limply soft-core.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 24, 2025

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

One of those breakthrough movies that leaves no doubt you are in the presence of a natural-born filmmaker. Like Spielberg's Sugarland Express or Scorsese's Mean Streets, Anderson's mesmerizing movie announces the arrival of a major career.

Sep 24, 2025

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Richard Williams

Guardian

Hugely entertaining, full of surprises, critical of its subject but never lacking in humanity, this is a real epic of small lives.

Sep 24, 2025

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Steve Persall

Tampa Bay Times

It's a blessing blessing all its own: bold and uncompromising in the way it treats pornography as a profession and a smutty joke, yet so genial and thrilling in its execution that you're transfixed by the genius of a new member of the filmmaking elite.

Rated: A

Sep 24, 2025

Full Review

Jeff Simon

Buffalo News

Boogie Nights is the film, I think, that will define 1997. It's not only that good but it's that audacious and that brilliant about the most difficult and most commanding subject that we know these days -- sex.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 24, 2025

Full Review

Christopher Borrelli

Toledo Blade

It's a sprawling, grand mess of energy, pathos, storytelling, and chutzpah, the celluloid equivalent of a 16-year-old boy with roller skates on his feet and a jet pack strapped to his back.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 24, 2025

Full Review

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trevor a

35mm at the Paris theater! Spectacular showing

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/30/24

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Lars N

This one of the wildest rollercoasters out there

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/25

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Ray C

An absolute masterclass in filmmaking from Paul Thomas Anderson. Boogie Nights features a stacked cast, and everyone involved delivers outstanding performances. Mark Wahlberg, in particular, shines as Dirk Diggler in the lead role. Despite a two-and-a-half-hour runtime, the film never drags. The first hour absolutely flies by, feeling lively and endlessly entertaining. There are several impressive continuous shots that reinforce Anderson’s status as one of our generation’s greatest filmmakers. All in all, this movie was a masterpiece for me. It’s far from the most fun watch at times, but there’s no doubt it will go down as one of my favorite films of all time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/16/25

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To F

Es espectacular! Es tan intensa y toca tantos temas tan peculiares y fuertes. Las imágenes, la historia: Es bellísima.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/25

Full Review

Bryan C

Unlike other filmmakers his age, he's not hiding behind genres, narrative gimmicks or slacker postures. He has epic ambitions, he wants to work on a large canvas, and he's apparently fearless.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/26/25

Full Review

Sam S

This strikes me as less of a great movie than it does a young man’s idea of one. The influences are obvious and typical. Needle drops and flashy camera movements come thick and fast. Still, most filmmakers would envy both the opportunity and skill PTA had to make this grand, especially this early in his career.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/26/25

Full Review

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Paul Thomas Anderson

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Eddie Adams

Burt Reynolds

Jack Horner

Julianne Moore

Amber Waves

John C. Reilly

Reed Rothchild

Don Cheadle

Buck Swope

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Synopsis

In the San Fernando Valley in 1977, teenage busboy Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) gets discovered by porn director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), who transforms him into adult-film sensation Dirk Diggler. Brought into a supportive circle of friends, including fellow actors Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Rollergirl (Heather Graham) and Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), Dirk fulfills all his ambitions, but a toxic combination of drugs and egotism threatens to take him back down.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Producer: Lloyd Levin, John S. Lyons, JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson
Screenwriter: Paul Thomas Anderson
Distributor: Criterion Collection, New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Lawrence Gordon Productions
Rating: R (Explicit Dialogue|Drug Use|Violence|Language|Nudity|Strong Sex Scenes)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.4M
Runtime: 2h 32m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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