Director
Paul Thomas Anderson
Leading Actors/Actresses
Mark Wahlberg
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Heather Graham
Genre
Drama
Language
English
Awards
Nominated for 3 Oscars: Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Burt Reynolds, Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Julianne Moore, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Date of Release
1997
Producer
Paul Thomas Anderson, Lloyd Levin, John S. Lyons, JoAnne Sellar
Setting and Context
California during the 1970s and 1980s within the pornographic film industry
Narrator and Point of View
POV is that of Eddie/Dirk, with some scenes that focus intensely on other characters
Tone and Mood
Serious, Dramatic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Eddie. Antagonists are Jack and Eddie
Major Conflict
Eddie Adams begins to work in the porn industry as an actor after leaving his abusive mother. He moves in with pornographic film producer Jack Horner who makes him a star in the industry in the 1970s. He begins to live the high life until 1980 when his drug use causes him to lose the ability to get aroused and Jack parts ways with him.
Climax
Dirk resorts to trying to create a band with Reed, but they waste all of their money on drugs. Eventually Dirk is taken back by Jack and the film ends with him preparing to begin work as a pornographic actor once more.
Foreshadowing
Little Bill Thompson's anger at his wife having sex with other men, but silencing it because it's "on set" foreshadows his murder-suicide.
Understatement
It is understated that Dirk will resort to prostitution.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
The film is an allusion to the hardship of a life in the pornographic film industry, and the burdens and stigmas placed upon the people in it, along with the difficulty of being able to get out of it and lead a healthy life that doesn't include it.
Paradox
Amber may be a good mother, even a better parent than the father of her child, but the paradox is that no matter how good of a mother she is, she will always have the stigma of being a porn actress, and thus incapable of being a good parent to the courts.
Parallelism
Dirk and Amber preparing to film at the end of the film parallels the first time they work together earlier in the film.
