Porn films have been around for a while, even having a near-mainstream surge in popularity in the early ’70s thanks to films like 1972’s Deep Throat and provocateurs like Andy Warhol, major films about the pornography business took a lot longer to gain mass appeal. Early works, like Paul Schrader’s 1979 “Hardcore,” treated the industry as dark and sinister. But things lightened up considerably with the honest and heartfelt depiction of the adult films and the people who make them in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 hit “Boogie Nights,” which earned plenty of awards buzz. From there the floodgates opened, from broad comedies (2004’s “The Girl Next Door”) to rom-coms (2008’s “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”) to complex biopics (2013’s “Lovelace”). To coincide with the release of Sean Baker’s acclaimed indie “Red Rocket,” about a down-on-his-luck adult actor returning to his Texas hometown, Variety has selected the top 10 movies about porn stars.
This raunchy rom-com brought Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks together as two friends falling in love as they hustle to pay the bills through shooting porn.
Directed by Kevin Smith, the lighthearted, featherweight comedy merged the raunchy sensibilities of his own View Askewniverse with in-vogue Apatow Productions, bringing actors from both camps into one movie.
Although it was a box office flop, it became a minor cult classic date night fare for couples willing to walk on the wild side.
Humpday (2009)
Lynn Shelton’s funny, shambling look at male friendship stars Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard as two straight bros who lose touch and, through a series of escalating ideas at a party, decide to film an x-rated film together as a piece of art to submit to the HUMP! film festival, a real-life Seattle amateur porn competition. This low-budget gem was cobbled together over 10 days for $20,000, and the improvised dialogue gives an ease to some of the uncomfortable conversations and sexual dynamics within.
The Nice Guys (2016)
Shane Black’s hardboiled comedy brings a tough guy enforcer (Russell Crowe) and a hapless private eye (Ryan Gosling, in total goofball mode) together to solve a knotty, noir-ish crime involving a porn star named Misty Mountains and a mysterious adult film named “How Do You Like My Car, Big Boy?” After an explosive opening scene leaves Misty dead, her tragic end keeps the duo focused on the crime, even as hijinks and bad luck surrounds them. Featuring one of the funniest adults-only parties committed to film, “The Nice Guys” is a blissed-out ride through the underbelly of ’70s Los Angeles.
