April 3, 1996
BOOGIE NIGHTS
Screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson
Synopsis by Brian Aldrich
In the San Fernando Valley, circa 1977, JACK HORNER, 50’s, is a successful adult movie director. He and his friends/associates AMBER WAVES, an aging porno actress, REED ROTHCHILD,an “actor”, aspiring musician, and weightlifter, BECKY BARNETT, an “actress” with an abusive boyfriend named RONNIE, BUCK SWOPE, a black “cowboy” actor who has a day job selling audio equipment, and ROLLERGIRL, a porn actress and high-school dropout who never takes off her roller skates even during sex., hang out at a disco in the valley run by MAURICE, a Puerto Rican entrepreneur who brags to his brothers back home about his friends in the porno business and continually begs Jack for an “acting” job. Young and sexy EDDIE ADAMS, 17, works at the club as a bus boy and lives at home with his parents in the suburbs. Jack sees his promise as a porn star and offers him a career. After talking it over with SHERYL LYNN, his suburban girlfriend, and getting more abuse from his PARENTS, Eddie moves out from his parents and moves in with Jack to begin his porno acting career.
At one of Jack’s cocaine and sex parties, Eddie meets the COLONEL, the producer and investor in Jack’s films. The Colonel approves of Eddie. When a BIMBO dies of an overdose at the party, it is covered up. Meanwhile, assistant director, LITTLE BILL, is constantly finding his WIFE having sex with some new STUD. He is furious, but helpless. Eddie becomes a successful porno star, calling himself “DICK DIGGLER”. He takes karate classes with Reed and Buck. Jack begins to make a series of films starring Dirk, Reed and sexy JESSIE ST. VINCENT, combining porn with James Bond. The series is a huge success. Dirk buys himself a house in the hills and a new Corvette.
At Jack’s 1980 New Year’s party, Becky meets and falls for JEROME, an auto parts entrepreneur; adult film distributor FLOYD GONDOLLI convinces Jack and the Colonel to switch to video; Amber and Jessie compete for Dirk’s attention; crewmember SCOTTY J. comes on to Dirk who rejects him; and Little Bill kills his wife, her lover, and himself. As the 80’s continue: Amber makes a documentary film about Dirk. At Jack’s party, Dirk is jealous of JOHNNY DOE, Jack’s new protégé. The Colonel is arrested after being caught with an underage girl, dead of an overdose. Becky and Jerome get married and move to Bakersfield. Jack finally offers Maurice a chance to have sex on screen, but Maurice is worried about his penis size. Strung out on cocaine, Dirk begins to act unprofessionally, finally freaking out on the set, screaming at Jack, and being fired from the movie. Now blacklisted out of the porno business, Dirk uses the last of his savings to record an album with Reed and coke friend TODD, but doesn’t have the cash to finish it. Buck decides to get a bank loan and start his own audio business. Jessie encourages him, but the bank officer turns him down. Amber and Rollergirl go back to school. Jealous of her sexual history, Jerome starts to beat Becky. Dirk tries to go to save her, but crashes his Corvette. Becky is helped by senior good Samaritan MR. BROWN and goes to work for his retirement home. Reduced to performing stage sex acts and living in a seedy motel, Dirk, Reed, and Todd get into a fight and are fired. New porno star Johnny Doe dies in a car accident. Amber fights her ex-husband for custody of her son. Jack beats up a COLLEGE KID who insulted Rollergirl. Selling sex to a SURFER, Dirk gets beat up by him and his gay bashing friends. Buck is an innocent bystander to a robbery. He grabs the bag of money for him and pregnant Jessie to open their business. Broke, Dirk, Reed, and Todd sell phony coke to wealthy RAHAD. When Todd tries to rob Rahad’s safe, Rahad shoots and kills Todd. Dirk and Reed narrowly escape. Dirk returns to the suburbs to meet pregnant Sheryl Lynn and her HUSBAND and learn that his parents died as victims in Johnny Doe’s car accident. Desperate and broken, Dirk returns to Jack who cares for him. Amber directs Buck’s commercial. Rollergirl gets her GED. The Colonel goes to prison. Jessie and Buck have a son. Dirk goes back to acting in Jack’s porno movies.
Summary Criticism: While the script is overlong and overwritten, the milieu is original and the characters are sympathetic.
Boogie Nights - imdb
Paul Thomas Anderson - imdb
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