"Everyone is blessed with One Special Thing," says Eddie Adams, who is endowed with a rather stunning piece of equipment that enables him to become a shining star in the world of adult entertainment. Deprived of love and respect by his family, Eddie--renaming himself Dirk Diggler--conquers the world of porn while keeping his innocence intact. As the turbulent Seventies become the hedonistic Eighties, Dirk's career goes into a tailspin--but he is rescued by the safety net of the extended family created by hard-core film director Jack Horner.

Paul Thomas Anderson's screenplay for Boogie Nights is exemplary in its ability to interweave the multiple character strands into a culminating narrative. Like the Roman dramatist Terence, who said that "nothing human is alien to me," Anderson has taken on what is regarded as one of the sleaziest sides of life and infused it with an aching humanity.