Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 102 Ratings

  • Starring: Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Mark Wahlberg
  • Summary: A multifaceted look at the porn industry in Los Angeles in the 70's and 80's, focusing on the journey of a young man (Wahlberg) from restaurant dishwasher to porn star and beyond.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 28
  2. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. 100
    Has the quality of many great films, in that it always seems alive.
  2. A hard-core movie with a soft, light-hearted center and an edge like a knife.
  3. A true storyteller, able to easily mix and match moods in a playful and audacious manner, he (Anderson) is a filmmaker definitely worth watching, both now and in the future.
  4. Reviewed by: Sarah Kerr
    60
    These late scenes are over the top, as mean and reductive as editorials in a tabloid, and they nearly extinguish the moral subtlety of what's gone before.

See all 28 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 22
  2. Negative: 3 out of 22
  1. OLuc
    10
    Sometimes, I come back to this movie and I think about it, and I wonder, "Why isn't this movie being praised as well as othe movies of it's era, like Fargo, or Titanic?" More and more I wonder why people look more towards Quentin Tarantino then P.T. Anderson when it comes to directing, because this movie is just one of those movies that really is brought togethor by the film's atomesphere and screenplay, which were both done by Anderson. This movie is better than what many grade it to be, so if you like Robert Altman, than see Boogie Nights, the modern-day Nashville! Expand
  2. I was blown away by Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Boogie Nights.' Never have I seen a film so alive. The writing, directing, acting, editing, cinematography, and epic soundtrack are all key elements in the construction of this nearly flawless film. Collapse
  3. Set against the backdrop of late 1970â
  4. Most peoples favorite PT Anderson movie is probably my least. I don't dislike this film, it just hits me on a less emotional level than his other work. There is plenty to like here. Reynolds in particular is excellent. The scenes between Wahlberg and Reilly's characters are among the most memorable in any Anderson film. There is a lot more humor from scene to scene than in most Anderson films, ironically that may be why I didn't connect with these characters as well as would have liked. The scene where Diggler and the boys go to a drug dealers house to rip him off best illustrates this. This is a scene that is ultimately where the protagonist of the movie hits rock bottom, but instead of feeling that emotion, I was laughing and shaking my head in disbelief. Don't misunderstand, I enjoyed this scene, and I think Anderson wanted us to see the absurdity. However instead of connecting with these characters as I have in other Anderson films, these moments disconnect me. For me moments like this are what takes this film from being great to just another good movie. Expand

See all 22 User Reviews

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