Smell the Movies
Smell the TV
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Year: | 1997 |
Country of origin: | USA |
Director: | Paul Thomas Anderson |
Genre: | Unofficial biopic |
Starring: | Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham |
Rating: | 4/5 |
IMDB link: | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118749/ |
Tagline: | Everyone has one special thing |
Favourite line: | "You know what I'm thinking about, man? I'm thinking about kicking some fuckin' ass!" |
Paul T. Anderson's partial homage to the life of John Holmes, porn star extraordinaire from the 70's and early 80's whose tale is one of rags to riches to drug fuelled violence.
Mark Wahlberg plays Eddie Adams, an ordinary guy with one extraordinary hidden talent - he has a phenomenally large penis. Not only that, but he can ejaculate almost on command. Burt Reynold's porn director character Jack Horner identifies him as, quite literally, 'the next big thing' and before long he is propelled into the limelight, a dizzying world of drugs, women, more drugs and hourly blow jobs.
But it can't last.
The film age ends, and videotape is king, and Adams' alter ego Dirk Diggler finds it increasingly difficult to seperate his two identities and starts to believe his own hype. He IS Dirk Diggler. He IS an actor. He IS important. From there, it's a downward spiral.
Echoing the format of Goodfellas somewhat, in that the 70's is portrayed as a time of decadent plenty, the film takes a sudden lurch as soon as the 80's arrives.
The subject matter, though provocative, is sensitively handled, so if you are looking for a wankfest you will be very disappointed I'm afraid lads.
An excellent cast with a fine script, this is a very, very good movie.
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