The industry brings in $13 billion a year in the United States alone. No, we aren’t talking about the traditional film industry. We’re talking about porn. This Friday, Paramount is releasing George Gallo‘s Middle Men, which chronicles the rise of Internet pornography. To celebrate The Film Stage presents our 10 favorite films related to the industry.
Honorable Mentions: The Fluffer, Live Nude Girls
10. Wonderland (dir. James Cox) (2003)
John Holmes is a porno legend. Mark Wahlberg’s character in Boogie Nights is based on Holmes and the well endowed performer is at the center of the Wonderland murders in this film. Holmes, played adequately by Val Kilmer, eventually died of AIDS related complications and the surface of his persona is barely scratched here in favor of investigating the seedy world of crime that goes hand-in-hand with the world of pornography. – John L.
9. The Girl Next Door (dir. Luke Greenfield) (2004)
Every young hetero-teen blazing one dirty magazine and online porn site at a time through puberty has a dream. A dream to meet the girl from the centerfold. A chance to see the girl from the DVD you stole from your older brother’s room in person. A chance to put fantasy to flesh. Matt Kidman, played by Emile Hirsch, realizes that the girl who moved in next door is that girl — a porn star in the flesh. However, contrary to what you may expect, The Girl Next Door puts a face to the girl in the porn flick. The girls of our dreams (read: wet dreams) are actually just real everyday girls — even the girls that may live next door. And even they need a little love every now and then. The expected raunchy jokes and general low-brow humor is replaced by unexpected sincerity and heart in The Girl Next Door and we hope she finally finds her one true love… and gets naked. Please. – Addam H.
8. 8MM (dir. Joel Schumacher) (1999)
8MM is another film that focuses on the crime element of pornography and thrusts it’s protagonist into the very extreme intersection of porn and crime; the snuff film. Nic Cage (along with a punky Joqauin Phoenix) delve into the underbelly of the S&M world in search of the truth surrounding a reel of film believed to be a live murder. The film teeters on the outlandish thanks to the direction of Joel Schumacher but he also goes to a lot of places many other filmmakers would shy away from. – John L.
7. Orgazmo (dir. Trey Parker) (1997)
This is a film as a younger teen, I always wanted to watch because it was NC-17 and would of course have gratuitous nudity, right? Well, I never got around to it (alright, I wasn’t allowed to) and checked it out a few years ago. Much to my disappointment surprise the film was given the rating for the language and “ideas” rather than the nudity. That doesn’t take away from the absurd hilarity Trey Parker and Matt Stone offer in this peculiar adventure of a Mormon porn star superhero. – Jordan R.
6. Humpday (dir. (Lynn Shelton) (2009)
Here is a “mumblecore” film you will either love or hate, like most in the genre. While not exactly what you expect from a film titled Humpday, we are taken on a realistic journey on what would happen if two long-lost best (male) friends decide to have sex…and film it. If one can get accustomed to the style, it is as interesting as it sounds. – Jordan R.
5. The Notorious Bettie Page (dir. Mary Harron) (2005)
Bettie Page is an American icon and finding the right girl to fill her stilettos would seem like a daunting task but director Mary Harron struck gold with casting former ‘it-girl’ Gretchen Mol. Nearly a decade after being touted as the ‘next big thing,’ Mol finally made good on that promise as the pin-up goddess. Stylistically charming and featuring a charismatic lead performance, The Notorious Bettie Page offers a true slice of Americana that is often glossed over in favor of more puritanical memories of this era. – John L.
4. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (dir. Kevin Smith) (2008)
It’s constantly funny and extremely perverse, but Smith’s last good film also has quite a sentimental side to it. We were taught what a simple porn film can do to a couple, all while cramming in every last crude joke possible. It can be overbearing, but there is surprising amount of romance and truth here. – Jordan R.
3. The Girlfriend Experience (dir. Steven Soderbergh) (2009)
While Soderbergh’s experiment is more about prostitution then porn, it was a breakthrough for actresses in the industry. Adult star Sasha Grey leads the bleak, but beautifully cold look at human nature. There isn’t much “story” to speak of but I found it to be visually arresting and consistently intriguing. – Jordan R.
2. The People v. Larry Flynt (dir. Milos Forman) (1996)
The public outcry surrounding Milos Foreman’s biopic of the smut peddling Larry Flynt would have led people to believe The People Vs. Larry Flynt is far more scandalous then it really is but the film is actually a stellar biopic that champions free speech much more than it does pornography. Harrelson is electric as Larry Flynt and Love is a revelation as his stripper wife. The film was nominated for multiple Oscars which makes it prestige porn of the highest order. – John L.
1. Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson) (1997)
Boogie Nights is a darkly comic film, placed in the height of the disco era when porn movies have sizable budgets and are shown in theaters. Mark Wahlberg plays the role of a young nightclub dishwasher who is discovered by a known pornographer and made into a star. What makes this film work in a really powerful way, is that it demystifies sex. Many films use sex like porno films do, to turn us on. Boogie Nights instead shows the disenchanted side of sex as a consumer product, surrounding us in the everyday humdrum of a porno set. As Burt Reynolds’s character explains to Wahlberg, “You got your camera, you got your film, you got your lights, you got your syncing, you got your editing, you got your lab. Before you turn around, you’ve spent maybe $25,000 or $30,000.” It’s a brilliant way to make a human story amidst a risqué subject matter. – Kristen C.
What are your favorites?