Review of Boogie Nights (1997) by Kevin P — 07 Apr 2018

Strengths: Paul Thomas Anderson mostly did a masterful job directing this film. He captures the right things to make these characters work in their settings. He also got the best out of his actors, because some talented people give some of their top performances ever. Mark Wahlberg (Eddie/Dirk) is strong, while Burt Reynolds (Jack Horner) and Julianne Moore (Maggie/Amber) seem to steal the show. John C. Reilly (Reed) is really funny, while Heather Graham (Brandy/Rollergirl) is possibly at her best. The soundtrack is extremely fitting. I also must commend all the behind the scenes people, as the sets and costumes are easily some of the best things about this movie. Don Cheadle (Buck) was also quite good, as were Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Scotty J.) and William H. Macy (Bill). Lastly, it's quite interesting to see the toll the porn industry takes on the lives of the people involved.

Weaknesses: It's egregiously long. There's no need for this movie to go for two and a half hours. You really feel it as it nears the third act. While the story is good, I don't think it ever quite touches great territory. There are several side plots that feel like they're a bit extra. I understand what the Bill storyline was meant to showcase, but it wasn't needed. Even Buck, who was a fun character, felt off to the side a bit. As good as Anderson was as the director, a few of his shot choices were odd. There were moments when the camera lingered on seemingly unimportant things. Also, while all the characters were fully developed, I didn't feel a need to root for many of them in most situations.

Overall: People hold this movie in very high esteem. It's good, but I wouldn't consider it a classic or anything like that. The running time is a real problem, damaging the overall enjoyment of this film. If it was closer to two hours, it would've worked better.