Short Term 12

Written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Short Term 12 is the story about a young foster-care facility supervisor for young teens as she deals with her own issues in her life while becoming attached to a troubled young girl. The film explores the world of parentless children who are trying to find a family as it’s told from the perspective of a young woman who was also a foster child as she deals with the world that these young kids are going into. Starring Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, Stephanie Beatriz, and Melora Walters. Short Term 12 is a touching yet powerful film from Destin Daniel Cretton.

The film is a simple story about a young woman who supervises a foster-care center for young kids as she deals with her own issues as well as a new arrival in a young girl whom she connects with. While she has a boyfriend who also works at the place as he does the same thing she does while showing a new employee how to do things. The two also deal with a kid who is about to turn 18 as he is reluctant to leave the facility as he becomes angrier. All of which plays into a woman trying to be there for these kids as they’ve been abused, abandoned, or somewhere where they don’t have a home to go to. All of which is largely told from the perspective of its protagonist Grace (Brie Larson) who knows what these kids go through as she and her boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) both were raised in foster care.

Destin Daniel Cretton’s screenplay does contain a lot of dialogue including a few funny monologues that Mason has whenever he’s trying to prepare his new co-worker Nate (Rami Malek) about what to expect and how to connect with these kids. Especially as Nate has to be careful about what he says which would relate to the very moody Marcus (Keith Stanfield) who is set to leave but doesn’t want to. When Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) arrives as she is only supposed to stay briefly until her father can return from a business trip. Grace is connected to her as she learns about Jayden and her moodiness as Grace seems to know what Jayden is going through which relates to Grace’s own past which she is trying to not to reveal to anyone including Mason. It all plays to the drama as it starts off as something light-hearted with some heavy drama while the third act becomes more intense as it relates to Grace’s past as well as how much she cares for the kids.

Cretton’s direction is very simple in the way he presents the film as it’s mostly shot on location with a few sets in California. Much of it has Cretton going for a hand-held style which is very engaging as the film opens with Grace and Marcus running after a boy who constantly runs away only to get captured. Cretton does go for some unique framing devices in the way he maintains an intimacy between characters that includes some striking medium and wide shots. Even the use of close-ups are intriguing in the way Cretton tells the story as it all plays to the drama as well as the sense of restraint that Grace is holding on to as she eventually becomes ravaged by her past and her attempts to repress it. All of which play into the film’s third as the direction becomes more intense in the drama while not going overly sentimental or into very heavy melodrama. Overall, Cretton creates a very captivating and mesmerizing film about a young woman trying to help young foster-care kids deal with the world.

Cinematographer Brett Pawlak does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography in maintaining a very naturalistic look for many of the film‘s day interior and exterior scenes while using some lights for the film‘s nighttime interior and exterior scenes. Editor Nat Sanders does fantastic work with the editing where it is straightforward in some cases while has a flair of style in its use of jump-cuts, montages, and some slow-motion shots to play into some of the drama. Production designer Rachel Meyers and art director Grace Alie do amazing work with the look of the facility Grace and Mason work at with different decorations for the look of some of the kids who live at the place.

Costume designers Joy Cretton and Mirren Gordon-Crozier do wonderful work with the film‘s clothes where it‘s mostly casual to play into the world the characters live in. Sound designer Onalee Blank and co-sound editor Braden Spencer do superb work with the film‘s sound from the way things sound at the facility as well as some of the places outside of the facility. The film’s music by Joel P West is terrific as it’s mostly a mixture of indie-folk and ambient music to play into some of the drama that occurs in the film.

The casting by Kerry Barden, Rich Delia, and Paul Schnee is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Diana-Maria Riva as a nurse Grace meets early in the film, Frantz Turner as Grace and Mason’s boss, Lydia Du Veaux as a young orphaned girl named Kendra, Alex Calloway as the boy Sammy who constantly runs away and likes to play with small dolls, Kevin Hernandez as the teenager Luis, Stephanie Beatriz as the supervisor Jessica, and Melora Walters as Grace’s therapist Dr. Hendler. Keith Stanfield is excellent as the 17-year old Marcus who is reluctantly to leave the facility as he starts to lash out. Rami Malek is terrific as the new facility worker Nate who is trying to learn how things work where he eventually connects with the kids through a very simple act.

Kaitlyn Dever is fantastic as the troubled teenage girl Jayden who didn’t want to go to the facility as she would act out and only express herself through her drawings where she would find someone to talk to in Grace. John Gallagher Jr. is superb as Mason as a fellow supervisor who always talk to the kids as he’s always got something funny to say as he is very close to Marcus whom he can be very trusting to. Finally, there’s Brie Larson in an absolutely phenomenal performance as Grace where Larson puts in a lot of energy as well as emotional weight to a young woman who understands these young kids as she can talk to them while dealing with her own issues as it’s really a total break-out performance for Larson.

Short Term 12 is a remarkable film from Destin Daniel Cretton that features a tremendous break-out performance from Brie Larson. Along with an excellent supporting cast and strong stories about taking of care of orphaned children. It’s a film that explores a world where children can confide in people who know what they’re going through as they reveal that some adults have a hard time figuring things out as well. In the end, Short Term 12 is a sensational film from Destin Daniel Cretton.

Destin Daniel Cretton Films: (I Am Not a Hipster) - (Glass Castle) - Just Mercy - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

© thevoid99 2014

Magnolia

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/8/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Magnolia is a multi-layered story that chronicles a day in the life of various people in Los Angeles. Among them is a loser salesman, a cop, a gold-digging wife who realizes her love for her husband while his estranged son is a conflicted self-help guru. Other stories include a child in a game show while its host is dealing with personal problems that include his daughter's self-destructive behavior. The film explores the world of coincidences, chance, redemption, and failure that connects these characters in this very fascinating drama. With an all-star cast that includes P.T. Anderson regulars like Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Melora Walters, William H. Macy, Luis Guzman, and Alfred Molina plus Jason Robards, Felicity Huffman, Melinda Dillon, Michael Bowen, April Grace, Michael Murphy, Jeremy Blackman, and Tom Cruise. Magnolia is an ambitious yet engrossing drama from P.T. Anderson.

Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall) is a TV game show host who is about to reach 12,000 hours of broadcasting while his daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) is binging on sex and drugs in another part of Los Angeles. Set to be on Gator's TV show is a kid named Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman) who is intent to study while his father Rick (Michael Bowen) is doing auditions. A man named Donnie Smith (William H. Macy) is about to get corrective teeth surgery as he reflects on his time back in 1968 when he won Gator's show back in 1968 at the age of 10. Meanwhile, Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) is dying as he's in the care of nurse named Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman) while Earl's wife Linda (Julianne Moore) run errands. Jim (John C. Reilly) is a police officer whose day starts off strange due to a disturbance by a woman named Marcie (Cleo King) over a dead body as he later meets a young rapping boy named Dixon (Emmanuel Johnson).

With Earl on his deathbed, he ponders about his life as he asks Phil to find his estranged son Frank (Tom Cruise), who has re-invented himself as seminar guru Frank T.J. Mackey as he's being interviewed by a reporter named Gwenovier (April Grace). Jimmy makes an unexpected visit to Claudia's apartment to reveal some startling news as the meeting doesn't go well as he hoped to be as he later calls his wife Rose (Melinda Dillon) about what happened. Claudia would react badly to the news as she causes a disturbance where she attracts the attention of Jim as the two fall for each other where they later see each other for a date. After visiting a doctor and her lawyer Alan Kligman Esq., Linda would make a confession of her own as she asks to be removed from Earl's will. After being fired by his boss Solomon (Alfred Molina) over lateness and incompetence, Donnie goes to a bar to cope with failure where he reveals some stories of his own as he tries to profess his love to the bartender Brad (Craig Kvinsland) while talking to a man named Thurston Howell (Henry Gibson).

Later that night on Jimmy's show, Stanley shows up to the studio nearly late as he gets ready to play the game. Yet, Jimmy starts to feel sick during the show while Stanley also succumbs to pressure leaving the show in trouble. Frank's meeting with Gwenovier starts off fine until she starts to press questions about his past as he gets a call from his assistant about Phil. Frank reluctantly talks to Phil as he hears the news while Linda comes home to learn that Phil contacted Frank. Just before his date with Claudia, Jim has a run-in with a supposed killer as he loses his gun as it would be a horrible moment for him as he later talks to Claudia about it during their date. After the show, Jimmy makes a confession to rose about a dark family secret while Donnie decides to do something about his job as everyone starts to face their own conscious in one big moment.

While the film and its overlapping storylines might include many influences from Robert Altman, P.T. Anderson definitely goes for that style to bring something that is very ambitious while using that to make a film about one simple theme, love. Some might call this an existential film of sorts or a psychological drama or an epic drama or anything yet it's definitely one of the most original films of the decade. Particularly the way the film carries so many stories without losing track of its theme and major characters. Every character in that film is connected to another, one way or later on.

What makes the film so interesting is its epic-length structure where none of the subplots lose itself or becomes a distraction. Anderson carefully constructs each scene and each act into what the film's theme is about. The first six minutes has an eerie prologue that returns later on in the third act with a narrator (the voice of Ricky Jay) talking about coincidences. Then, eight minutes go by into the first act where Anderson introduces all of the major characters in the film. The first act is really about all of those characters, their troubles, and what kind of people they are. The second act is them exposing themselves, trying to hide from reality or deal with simple problems like Stanley wanting to go to the bathroom or Phil trying to reach Frank. The dialogue throughout the film, though stylized is very real once it comes to an emotional breaking point which leads to the film's third act.

The third act of the film is those characters dealing with confrontation, guilt, failure, and desperation while the emotions and situations become more complex. With the rain being a part of the second act of the film, the rain dies down and we see every character stripped-down to their real selves no matter what the audience thinks of them, it's the payoff that matters in the end. This would lead to one of these moments that can be described as What the fuck? There, the film shifts into something that is really mind boggling and then talking about it afterwards into an understanding, particularly with the film's prologue.

If Anderson's ambitions as a writer reaches new heights, so does his directing as he continues to create long, running steadicam shots that would go on for a few minutes in one take. His presentation is very linear though it shifts back and forth into one story and into another where in the second act, it creates all sorts of tension that definitely sets up a classic moment in terms of its emotions. Even in the some scenes, he creates tense atmosphere for the characters that would lead to them reaching some emotional breaking point. It's some of the finest directing that has been captured onto a film.

Helping Anderson in his vision is longtime cinematographer Robert Elswit. Elswit's cinematography is filled with amazing lighting, notably in the exterior night sequences that is filled with a lot of atmosphere with a bit of grainy yet dreamy imagery that complements Los Angeles in its beauty. In interior scenes, the film is well-lit which helps create the tension of the film. Editor Dylan Tichenor helps create the multiple storyline of Anderson's script, notably the second act where the film is cut very swiftly but is given enough time for each character to tell their story. Production designers William Arnold and Mark Bridges help create atmosphere in the film's look including the bar scene that is filled with an intimacy and tension to the film. Mark Bridges also brings in some great costume, notably the loser clothing for William H. Macy, and the posh clothing of Julianne Moore.

The film's soundtrack even helps to tell the story whether its Emmanuel Johnson rapping or Gabrielle playing in Donnie Smith's car. Even Supertramp appears in a couple of songs in the bar that Donnie goes to. Yet the score is dominated by the score of Jon Brion that brings a lot of atmosphere and tension to the film with additional contributions from P.T. Anderson's then-girlfriend Fiona Apple who adds a lot of piano flourishes to Brion's score. Then there's the music of Aimee Mann who dominates many of the film's music including a cover of Harry Nilsson's One as well as a few cuts including the Oscar-nominated Save Me and the song Wise Up where each major character gets to sing a verse in one of the film's most emotional scene.

Then there's the film's amazingly glorious ensemble cast that includes great small performances from Anderson regulars like Luis Guzman, Alfred Molina, and Ricky Jay who also does a fine job in the narration of the prologue. Also noted for small performances are the kids Emmanuel Johnson, Natalie Marston and Bobby Brewer as Stanley's partners in the game, plus pre-Desperate Housewife maiden Felicity Huffman in a small role as a production assistant, Henry Gibson as a rival for Donnie for the affections of a bartender, Michael Bowen as Stanley's greedy father, and Michael Murphy as Linda's attorney. In smaller but very important roles, April Grace does an excellent job in her performance as Frank Mackey's interviewer who doesn't get herself intimidated by Mackey's presence. Cleo King is also wonderful as Marcie, the woman who is suspected of a murder in the film's first major scene. Melinda Dillon is amazing as Jimmy Gator's wife who has her moment in the scene when Jimmy confesses about his secrets as she brings her best dramatic moment.

Phillip Baker Hall gives a great performance as the dying, regret-filled Jimmy Gator who starts off with an iconic status but his exterior is stripped down as Hall brings a performance that is nothing short of brilliance. Another veteran actor who shines in one of his final performances is Jason Robards as the dying Earl Partridge who is filled with regret and anger in a way that only Robards can do as he gives a performance that goes out in a graceful, masterful way. Melora Walters is also excellent as the troubled, lonely Claudia with her desire to self-destruct and not be with anyone until John C. Reilly comes and gives her a bit of hope as Walters shines in her performance. Reilly is also amazing as the lonely cop Jim who tries to do the right thing but one mental mistake brings him to an emotional breakdown as he leans to Claudia for support. William H. Macy gives another great performance in playing another loser as Macy brings a lot of angst and heartbreak into his performance as a lonely man who is filled with a lot of conflict and his desire to bring love.

Jeremy Blackman gives a riveting performance as Stanley who is smart but once the pressure to continue comes in, all he wants to do is go to the bathroom. Blackman brings a lot of sympathy and angst to his role as a kid whose simple desire is ignored as he realizes that he's become a puppet of sorts with only one man sympathizing with him. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives a great supporting performance as Phil who nurses Earl and is always at his side. Hoffman has great scenes with Robards as he desperately takes care of him, no matter how bad he is as Hoffman brings a character who doesn't go into a change but it's his heart and role that shows a true example of a true supporting character.

Julianne Moore gives another amazing performance in a P.T. Anderson film as a guilt-ridden woman who is desperately realizing her sins. Moore brings a lot of theatrics to her role as well as a lot of emotions as she plays a character whose actions are unforgivable as she asks to be punished for her sins. It's truly one of her more remarkable performances that leads to a troubling aftermath as Moore's desperation truly gives her character something that she really needed in the film's theme. Tom Cruise gives one of the best performances of his career as Frank T.J. Mackey. Cruise early brings in a lot of intensity with a winning personality and presence with one great line. "Respect the cock and tame the cunt!" Cruise goes for intimidation and fire early on but once his true character is revealed, he brings a lot of restraint to his role until the third act when he gives out some great, fiery emotions in his scene with Jason Robards.

Magnolia is a sprawling yet magnificent film from Paul Thomas Anderson. Armed with an outstanding ensemble cast, great technical work, and a captivating story, the film is definitely unlike anything out there in terms of the themes it presents and what it wanted to say. It's a very smart and ambitious ensemble-driven film with multiple storylines that manages to not lose sight of what it wants to say while giving characters that audiences can be engaged by. In the end, Magnolia is a phenomenal film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

Paul Thomas Anderson Films: Sydney/Hard Eight - Boogie Nights - Punch-Drunk Love - There Will Be Blood - The Master - Inherent Vice - Junun - Phantom Thread - Licorice Pizza

The Short Films & Videos of P.T. Anderson - The Auteurs #15: Paul Thomas Anderson

© thevoid99 2012

Hard Eight

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/7/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Written & directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Sydney/Hard Eight tells the story of a gambler named Sydney who takes in a young man to show him how to survive while becoming his protégé. During this journey, the young man falls in love with a waitress/hooker while delving into trouble as he turns to Sydney for help. Playing the role of Sydney is noted character actor Philip Baker Hall in a rare leading role that would be the first of many collaborations he would have with P.T. Anderson. Another actor who would become another of Anderson's key collaborators is John C. Reilly who plays Sydney's protegee John. Also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, and other future Anderson regulars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Walters, and Robert Ridgley. Sydney/Hard Eight is a stylish debut film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

A young man named John (John C. Reilly) is sitting outside a diner when a much older man named Sydney walks him and offers John if he would like some coffee and cigarettes. Sydney gets John into a conversation about why John is sitting outside as John reveals he needs some money. Sydney takes John in as they go to Las Vegas where he shows John the skills he needs to be a successful gambler. John becomes impressed in what Sydney teaches him as two years later, he's already his protégé. By this time, Sydney and John are regulars at the Reno where John has made friends with one of the casino's security officers named Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson). Jimmy remembers Sydney for some bets he made some years back as Sydney also gets the attention of a waitress/hooker named Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow) whom he likes for her kindness.

Later that night after a few games, Sydney is about to return to his hotel where he also finds Clementine walking outside. Realizing her other profession, Sydney takes her in to the room he and John stays. Sydney's fatherly persona comforts Clementine as later that morning, she and John talked as they decided to hang out together. After a day of gambling along with some heckling from another gambler (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Sydney gets a distressing call from John. Arriving at a motel, Sydney finds John and Clementine dealing with an unconscious man (F. William Parker) as they've taken him hostage over money he owes to Clementine. Sydney refuses to take part of the plan until he handles everything forcing John and Clementine to leave Reno. After taking care of John and Clementine's problems, things get worse when Sydney is confronted by Jimmy who reveals a secret. For Sydney, he makes a move that would change things for the people in his life.

If there was a theme that's recurrent in P.T. Anderson's films, it's about the idea of family. In this film, it's about an old-time gambler who takes in a young man to show him the ropes to be a smart gambler for survival. He also takes in a young hooker/waitress who has no idea what she wants to do with her life as he gives her a bit of a break. It's something Anderson seems to explore on in later films where in Boogie Nights, a young guy is accepted into a family of porn stars and porno filmmakers while Magnolia was about the dysfunctions where both a son and daughter are estranged from their fathers. In Sydney, Anderson tells the story of a man willing to help two inept individuals dealing with their mess while giving them lessons. Yet, it's later revealed that he has a past that he's trying to leave behind.

Anderson creates a lot of stylish dialogue that's rhythmic in its delivery while the character of Sydney plays it cool and to-the-point. The direction of Anderson clearly shows a young filmmaker developing a style. While he creates unique compositions and tracking shots that would define his early work. It's clear that not every shot he creates or movements work entirely. Yet, it's him trying to find a style where he's getting somewhere but just doesn't have it perfectly. Another moment of Anderson's unique direction that is noticeable is him shooting inserts of cigarettes and coffee in reference to the 1993 short he directed. Still, Anderson creates scenes and moments where he can capture the intensity of the drama or a moment of humor. Overall, Anderson creates a film that doesn't get boring nor overwhelmed with its sense of style as he's starting to develop his own filmmaking voice.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit, a man who would become a regular collaborator of Anderson for all of his feature-length films, does excellent work with the film's photography with stylish, low-light looks in many of the film's interior scenes. Notably the casinos and bars where there's colors and an intimate look while the exteriors are mostly grey and a bit colorless as they're often shot in the mornings. While it's doesn't stand up with Elswit's other work with Anderson in later films, it's still worth noting that Elswit does some fine work in the film. Editor Barbara Tulliver does fine work with the film's editing with nice fade-outs for the film's structure, smooth transitional cuts, slow-mo movements, and other editing techniques. Tulliver's work is notable creating the sense of drama and momentum in telling Anderson's story.

Production designer Nancy Deren along with set decorator David A. Koneff and art director Michael Krantz do wonderful work with the look of the Reno/Vegas casinos and bars along with the hotel rooms. The look is intimate yet stylish while the home of Jimmy is very stylish with bad rugs and carpeting. Costume designer Mark Bridges does great work with the straight black suits that Sydney wears while the more stylish suits that Jimmy wears reveals the man's wild personality. The clothes that Clementine wears from the waitress tops to dirty skirts reveal the cheap look that she sports. Sound designer Richard King and editor Jeffrey R. Paine is very good for its location sounds of casinos and the streets of Reno and Vegas along with its raucous atmosphere.

The music of the film is created by two more key collaborators of Anderson in his early films in Michael Penn and Jon Brion. The soundtrack features many of Brion's melodic, atmospheric score pieces led by bells and vibraphones to give it a cheesy yet effective lounge feel to complement the world of casinos. The jazziness in other pieces by Michael Penn is also effective to bring a cool mood while some of the additional contributions including a song from Penn and vocalist Aimee Mann, another key collaborator of Anderson, that is played in the final credits. The film's soundtrack is very good though not up to par with Anderson's other film soundtracks in the films to come.

The casting by Christine Sheaks is brilliant for its assembly of actors, many of whom weren't very known at the time. Along with performances and appearances from F. William Parker as a hostage and Anderson's father Ernie as a man waiting in line. There's early appearances from Anderson regulars like Melora Walters as a girlfriend of Jimmy's, Robert Ridgley as a Keno bar manager, and a scene-stealing performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman as a craps shooter heckling Sydney. Samuel L. Jackson is great as Jimmy, a security manager who likes to be very brazen and cool while sporting some filthy dialogue. Jackson's performance is a bit more laid-back than his Jules character from Pulp Fiction but also quite as menacing when he threatens Sydney where Jackson got to be the badass.

Gwyneth Paltrow is wonderful as Clementine, a young hooker/waitress unsure of what to do with her life while finding some comfort from Sydney whom she likes as a customer at the bar. Paltrow brings a bit of sexiness as well as fragility to her character that truly showed that she was an actress that was definitely on the rise which she has proven since as it's a fine early role for Paltrow. John C. Reilly is really good as John, a down-on-his-luck young guy who becomes Sydney's protégé as Reilly really shines. Reilly, known recently for low-brow comedy roles, shows great depth as a guy who is looking for guidance on life as it's definitely an excellent performance from the actor who would become one of Anderson's regular actors.

Finally, there's Philip Baker Hall in an amazing leading performance as Sydney. Hall, mostly known as a character actor up to that point, delivers with such cool restraint and calm as a wise gambler who knows all the tricks to being a gambler. In his scenes with Reilly and Paltrow, he brings a fatherly presence as someone who can guide them into giving them the right path while cleaning up their messes like any father would. It's a brilliant performance from an actor, who would also become a regular of Anderson, who often gets overlooked and was finally given a big role to work with.

Sydney/Hard Eight is a fascinating, smart, and stylish debut film from Paul Thomas Anderson. Fans of Anderson will no doubt see this film as a great place to where Anderson got to refine his craft as a filmmaker though Boogie Nights is a better introduction. With a great cast led by Philip Baker Hall along with amazing supporting work from John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Samuel L. Jackson. It's a film that is entertaining, filled with great acting, stylish dialogue, and great scenery. In the end, Sydney/Hard Eight is an excellent, cool debut film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

P.T. Anderson Films: Boogie Nights - Magnolia - Punch-Drunk Love - There Will Be Blood - The Master - Inherent Vice - Junun - Phantom Thread - Licorice Pizza

Related: The Short Films & Videos of P.T. Anderson - The Auteurs #15: Paul Thomas Anderson

© thevoid99 2012

Boogie Nights

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Boogie Nights is the story of a young man who catches the attention of a porno filmmaker in the 1970s. After becoming a star and part of a family, his life goes into a downward spiral during the 1980s which affects himself and the people he calls his family. The film is an exploration of the world of the 1970s porn film industry and the people who were part of it. With an all-star cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Robert Ridgley, Nicole Ari Parker, Luis Guzman, Melora Walters, Philip Baker Hall, and Alfred Molina. Boogie Nights is an exciting yet lively film from P.T. Anderson.

Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) is a 17-year old kid who works as a busboy for a club owner named Maurice Rodriguez (Luis Guzman). One of the club regulars is Maurice’s friend and renowned porno filmmaker Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) who hears that Eddie is well-endowed. After meeting Jack and his longtime girlfriend/porno actress Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Eddie feels like he’s got a chance to make something himself away from the verbal abuse of his own mother (Joanna Gleason). After an audition with one of Jack’s actresses in the young Rollergirl (Heather Graham), Eddie succeeds as he meets actors in magician/musician Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly) and a stereo salesman named Buck Swope (Don Cheadle).

Renamed Dirk Diggler, Eddie immediately becomes a star with Jack guiding him as he makes Eddie part of a family that includes cameraman/editor Kurt Longjohn (Ricky Jay), actress Becky Barnett (Nicole Ari Parker), soundman Scotty (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and assistant director Little Bill (William H. Macy). Jack hopes to get some respect outside of the world of the porn industry where he, Eddie, and Reed come up with a series of films that become popular. After a New Year’s Eve party to end the 1970s ended in tragedy, Jack’s hopes to become legit crashes when his longtime financier Colonel James (Robert Ridgley) is arrested. Having to work with another producer in Floyd Gondoli (Philip Baker Hall) who forces Jack to switch from film to video, Jack’s world starts to fall apart as Eddie becomes addicted to drugs.

For Jack and the people around him, things become tough in the 1980s as Buck and his wife Jessie St. Vincent (Melora Walters) hope to start a stereo business for themselves. Eddie and Reed are unable to get their music career going due to their own addictions while Amber finds herself going through child custody issues with her ex-husband (John Doe). With all of the turmoil surrounding Jack, Eddie, and their splintered group of friends, Eddie and Reed would face a troubling encounter with a dealer in Rahad Jackson (Alfred Molina) when their friend Todd Parker (Thomas Jane) tries to make things complicated in a deal gone wrong.

The film is about a group of dysfunctional people who form a family in an industry that doesn’t get a lot of respect as they hope to be accepted for who they are. In this family, there’s a wide group of people that are diverse and unique. Leading the pack is a porno filmmaker who sees his films as art as he tries to put some substance into his work. At his side is a porn star who is the mother of the group as she acts as a maternal figure to the younger stars while dealing with the fact that she doesn’t get to see her own kid. Then there’s this young kid who has a big penis that hopes to find something he can be proud of and not deal with his cruel mother.

It’s part of what Paul Thomas Anderson does as a storyteller in creating characters that are engaging but also striving to be somebody and feel proud of themselves. Jack Horner, Amber Waves, and Dirk Diggler are just among the group of people featured in this massive ensemble drama in the span of nearly a decade starring with the late 70s to the early 80s. The characters Anderson create are more than what they’re given as there’s a gay soundman who falls for Dirk, an African-American stereo salesman who loves country music, a high-school dropout who never takes off her roller-skates, and a porn actor that loves to do magic tricks and play rock n’ roll.

These are the kind of characters who don’t play to certain stereotypes of what many would perceive to be porn stars. In fact, there are a group of people who are quite intelligent that chooses to be in porn films because they want to be in porn films. Anderson doesn’t judge these people for who they are as they’re all quite flawed yet have something that the audience can be engaged by. The script is a classic rise and fall tale where a porn director, his top actor, and the people they’re with start to make something where it becomes a success and everyone seems to have a good time. Then comes the fall in the 1980s as excess, mismanagement, bad choices, and prejudice would test and splinter these people as they would all struggle with themselves and things they would encounter.

Anderson’s direction of the film is definitely vibrant in the way he shows the film as more than just an exploration into 70s porno chic. From the opening tracking shot where he has the camera walk into the club to the tense meeting Dirk, Reed, and Todd would have with Rahad Jackson. There is never a moment in the film that is dull or unimportant as Anderson makes sure that scenes of simple conversations, porno shoots, and troubling circumstances say something. There is a lot of style that Anderson chooses to go for as he utilizes these long tracking shots to either introduce characters or to capture an atmosphere of the location. The overall work that Anderson does is truly magnificent as he creates a very hypnotic and engrossing film.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit does an incredible job with the photography from capturing the vibrant and colorful lights of the discos and the sunny Californian exteriors for the scenes of the 70s. For the 80s sequences, the look remains the same but has a darker feel as there’s a lot of material shot at night to exemplify the tough circumstance the characters face throughout the film. Editor Dylan Tichenor does a brilliant job with the editing to maintain a leisured pace throughout while creating wonderful montages to exemplify the excitement of the 70s as well as the struggles the character go through in the 80s where the editing shifts what circumstance the characters go through.

Production designer Bob Ziembecki, along with set decorator Sandy Struth and art director Ted Berner, does a sensational job with the set pieces created such as Jack‘s lavish home and Maurice‘s disco to the stylish but eerie home of Rahad Jackson. Costume designer Mark Bridges does a fantastic job with the costumes created from the bellbottoms, hot pants, and the stylish clothing of the 70s to the more grimy look of 80s fashion. Sound editor Dane A. Davis does an excellent job with the sound from the way the parties are captured to the intimacy of Dirk’s first day working on a porno set.

The film’s score by Michael Penn is very wonderful for the array of moods created such as the soothing yet playful harmonium piece for the first half performed by Jon Brion to a more intense yet haunting score for its second half. Music supervisors Bobby Lavelle and Karyn Rachtman create an amazing soundtrack that is filled with lots of music from the 70s and 80s from acts like the Emotions, War with Eric Burdon, Electric Light Orchestra, the Commodores, Hot Chocolate, Rick Springfield, Night Ranger, Nena, and many others.

The casting by Christine Sheaks is superb as the ensemble cast that is created is truly one of the best casting jobs ever assembled. In small but notable roles, there’s Joanna Gleason as Eddie’s abusive mother, Nicole Ari Parker as Buck’s former girlfriend/porn star Becky Barnett, Jonathan Quint as a young porn star who threatens Dirk’s star power, X vocalist/bassist John Doe as Amber’s ex-husband, Kai Lennox as an old classmate that Rollergirl knew, Channon Roe as a guy Dirk meets in the film’s second half, Michael Penn as a music producer Dirk and Reed work with, and a couple of wonderful appearances from porn legends Nina Hartley and Veronica Hart with Hartley as Little Bill’s adulterous wife and Hart as a judge in Amber’s child custody case. In a small but chilling performance, Alfred Molina gives a scene-stealing performance as crazed drug dealer Rahad Jackson.

Other notable yet brilliant small supporting roles include Philip Baker Hall as the brash yet sleazy producer Floyd Gondoli, Ricky Jay as Jack’s filmmaking collaborator Kurt Longjohn, William H. Macy as Jack’s assistant director Little Bill, the late Robert Ridgely as Jack’s old financier/producer Colonel James, Melora Walters as Buck’s new porn star girlfriend Jessie St. Vincent, and Luis Guzman as the funny club owner Maurice Rodriguez. Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as the sensitive yet caring Scotty who is in love with Dirk while John C. Reilly is great as the upbeat Reed Rothchild while bringing some great humor to his character. Don Cheadle is excellent as the sensitive yet country music-loving Buck Swope who is accused of not being black enough while just trying to be an all-around nice guy. Heather Graham is wonderful as the sexy yet innocent Rollergirl who likes to have fun while hoping to be accepted as a smart girl.

Julianne Moore is amazing as Amber Waves, a veteran porn star who tries to deal with her own custody issues while being the maternal figure to everyone around her. Burt Reynolds is superb as porn director Jack Horner as the man trying to make everyone feel proud of themselves while hoping to be respected while having to deal with changing times. Reynolds’ performance is definitely the best thing he’s done in his career as he displays a man that is trying to keep everything together. Finally, there’s Mark Wahlberg in his breakthrough performance as Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler where Wahlberg brings charisma and a boyish innocence to a young kid that wants to feel like he’s accomplished something while dealing with the anguish of losing his stardom and dealing with his drug addiction.

Boogie Nights is a remarkable film from Paul Thomas Anderson that features a truly outstanding ensemble cast. For anyone new to P.T. Anderson’s work will definitely see this as the best place to start for the way he can present scenes and handle a large ensemble cast. Featuring great technical work and a fun music soundtrack, it’s a film that revels in what was great about the world of 70s porn in its emphasis to be just as creative as any kind of film. In the end, Boogie Nights is a tremendous yet captivating film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

Paul Thomas Anderson Films: Sydney/Hard Eight - Magnolia - Punch-Drunk Love - There Will Be Blood - The Master - Inherent Vice - Junun - Phantom Thread - Licorice Pizza

Related: The Short Films & Videos of P.T. Anderson - The Auteurs #15: Paul Thomas Anderson

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