Paul Thomas Anderson’s darkly entertaining fictional exploration of the California pornography industry circa the late 1970s and early 80s focuses on a young nightclub worker, played by Mark Wahlberg, who rapidly finds stardom in the pornographic industry. However, with fame comes fortune, and with fortune comes unchecked ego, misbehavior and drug-use. Starring a dizzying array of Hollywood’s heavy-hitters—Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham, and Philip Seymour Hoffman among them—this unique and stimulating period drama portrays an archetypal tale of the rise and fall of a commodified star. What makes the film distinct is its focus on and demystification of a genre often left on the fringes of both society and cinema, despite its considerable popularity.