In October the very next year, Anderson broke out with his greatest success, the period dramedy Boogie Nights, decidedly one of the greatest American features of the 90s.
Boogie Nights, set in the pornographic film industry of the late 70s (and spilling over into the early 80s), chronicles the life and times of Dirk Diggler -- played by Mark Wahlberg, and based on real-life porn king John Holmes. Diggler has exactly what it takes to win it all in the world of smutty cinema, and he uses this tool to tremendous advantage.
It's a film tremendously hard to summarise, suffice it to say that the humour and the nudity is balanced by disarmingly real characters, albeit in a largely unrelatable setting.
Cinema had changed. And we had Heather Graham on golden roller skates to herald the PT Anderson magic bus.
Also read: Complete list of Oscar nominees
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