Boogie Nights (1997)
There is an interesting balance and contrast within this film, with how it simultaneously clearly has some fun with its depiction of the porn industry and still not downplay some very serious issues. It starts off as mostly goofy fun, with some hints to the darker sides, then later it shifts almost entirely to bleak and depressive. But both sides of the coin are always present, it is never a total shift or one side that necessarily becomes dominant. And we see how PTA as he is known for, turn it into a metaphor for one big family in the end. While definitely entertaining and engaging from start to finish, I did find its structure a bit too loose with lack of cohesion between scenes as many things just felt randomly grouped together.
Rating: 3