4k-UHD/Movie Review: Boogie Nights

 

Boogie Nights is a 1997 film about the golden era of porn and is very loosely based on and inspired by events in the life of John Holmes. It was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starred Mack Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, and John C. Reilly in the main roles, and Don Cheadle, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Luis Guzman, Nicole Ari Parker, Nina Hartley, Thomas Jane, Melora Walters, Robert Ridgely, Alfred Molina, Phillip Baker Hall, and Ricky Jay in supporting roles. The story begins in 1977, when Wahlberg's character, Eddie Adams, is discovered by Reynolds' character, adult film director Jack Horner, while working as a busboy at a Hollywood nightclub. Adams, who it is hinted is very well-endowed (and we find out at the end of the movie just how much so via a prosthetic penis), takes on the stage name Dirk Diggler and becomes the biggest name in porn as the story progresses into the mid-1980s. The first half of the film shows the glamorous side of the life of porn stars in that era, specifically the money, sex, and partying. The second half shows the dark side of that lifestyle and how the lives of some performers were ruined by the rampant drug use, the struggle (and sometimes inability) to get out, and how slimy some of the power brokers could be. Many of the events in the film are based on things that happened to real porn actors over the years.

The 4k release is a single-disc edition released in 2025 after the film was remastered. It carries over most of the bonus content from the original DVD release, but not all. The director's commentary track, deleted scenes, and music video are carried over, but the character profiles are not, nor is the ability to jump to specific musical numbers in the film from the disc menu. It also includes additional bonus material for this release, including more deleted and extended scenes focused on John C. Reilly's character, a two-part Q&A session, the first part featuring Anderson and Reilly, and the second featuring just Anderson, filmed in 2025. There is also a second commentary track featuring Anderson and many of the actors, spliced together from several conversations. It was not a situation in which the entire group was in a room watching the film and recording commentary as it played. Instead, it was created from several conversations, such as Anderson discussing the movie with some actors separately, and others where a couple of the actors were in the same place discussing the movie. In all, Wahlberg, Moore, Graham, Reilly, Cheadle, Macy, Guzman, and Walters all appear at various points in the second commentary track. Of the two, Anderson's solo commentary provides the most interesting details on the process of making the film. The A/V quality of the 4k restoration is excellent. The film looks and sounds great in the UHD format and is a very significant upgrade from the original DVD release.

The movie is well-written and very-well acted. While it does have a lot of nudity and sexual content (as well as fake drug use) it was not gratuitous and fit within the story being told. That said, it is definitely not family-friendly. It was the film that helped launch or further the careers of many of the cast members who would go on to become A or B-list stars, and revived Reynolds' career (even though he reportedly hated filming it and went on record as saying he never watched it). Ultimately, if you are a fan of good dramas, especially period pieces, this is absolutely worth watching.