The hook to Boogie Nights is its setting, that of the late-'70s, early-'80s L.A. porn industry. It stars Mark Wahlberg as Eddie Adams, a 17-year-old nightclub busboy and part-time hustler. While at work one evening, Eddie is discovered by Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), a pornographer who spots Eddie's considerable below-the-belt talent. Horner draws Eddie in not so much with promises of fame and fortune, but by showing him the family-like security he's built among his cast and crew, chief among them Horner's starlet Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), the mother figure whose lifestyle keeps her from raising her own son. Rounding out the family are Rollergirl (Heather Graham), the high-school dropout whose signature is never taking off her skates, Buck Swope (Don Cheadle), actor and hi-fi enthusiast, Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), another actor and Eddie's magic-loving best friend, and Little Bill (William Macy), production assistant and cuckold.

After changing his name to Dirk Diggler, Eddie proves to be a natural and soon basks in the glow provided by industry recognition, fancy clothes, a new house, and an orange Corvette. As the decade closes, however, things change. Disco crashes, making way for the likes of Rick Springfield and Night Ranger. One star gets married, another opens his own business. Horner turns to videotape, and Dirk turns to drugs. And while Dirk's situation goes from bad to worse, he's still got the one thing that made him a star.

For Boogie Nights, Anderson keenly hits on two things that spark interest: '70s nostalgia and the naughtiness of porn. As for the former, Anderson works in the knit clothes, the awful hair, and the music (the Commodores' "Machine Gun," Andrew Gold's "Lonely Boy," War's "Spill the Wine," and the Silver's "Fly, Robin Fly" are among the many songs). As for the latter, Anderson wisely reins in the lasciviousness and focuses mainly on the goofiness of porn-movie plot lines. In fact, while he does include the down-and-out struggles of his characters, Anderson never lets anything get too nasty (save for the grand finale money shot, which reveals what the fuss is all about).