User Reviews

This was a decent movie. It is unique in that the main character is very likable. He loves his dream of making something unique as a filmmaker and money lover. There are some great scenes that could actually be real. It is very realistic in parts and in other parts it is very dark,,,too dark in fact. So dark that you know that there is no way that this could actually be the way adult film making is. Boogie Nights and X Rated are far better. If you want to see a good independant film, this is a good rental. It's on the SUNDANCE channel quite often. Good for a weeknight view. It just doesn't deliver all the goods.

"The Pornographer" tells of a socially immature and sexually naive a young male paralegal who, frustrated with his misfires with women, dabbles in pornography and goes nowhere. This film had potential. It could have crawled into the mind of a pornographer and dealt more realistically with the sleaze industry. Instead it puts moral issues on the table and doesn't deal with them; raises questions it can't answer; and ends with a trite Hollywood cliche. An unsatisfying journeyman flick, "The Pornographer" is to be commended for taking on a difficult subject and not exploiting it though overall it is a generally mediocre watch which should have been better.

This is arguably the best movie ever made!! Given the novice actors in the movie, and the seemingly porno fixture, this flick models the Boogie Nights and takes it to a much greater altitude... Just Scintilling is not the only adjective it deserves!!! Woven into a porn industry base is a great sense of direction and acting. Apart from a suckery end, this was amazing... Bravo!!

This movie is hysterically bad. Complete with stereotypical characters, bad acting and a total lack of plot, this movie will keep you laughing for hours. My favorite part is when Paul (the "artistic" protagonist porno director) gets into a fight with a girl and then runs to his closet full of porno movies and tears it apart. Imagine the world's biggest hissy fit in a closet, and you've pretty much got the idea. Also enjoyable is the Spano character (the porno boss). Spano is happy and helpful one minute, cartoonishly vengeful the next. If this movie were good, it would star Mark Wahlberg and be called "Boogie Nights." Watch "The Pornographer" for laughs, watch "Boogie Nights" if you want to see how it should have been done.

After seeing this I was impressed by so many things, but it felt so After School Special, and here's why: The writing is really good, and the writer Doug Atchison did a wonderful job of getting some amazing performances out of his actors, but the whole damn thing is lit like a sitcom. There is absolutely no MOOD, or AMBIENCE or TONE. Like in Boogie Nights. The shots are all really flat, and lit like a sunporch. The camera wasbasically locked down and aimed at the scene. That is a real shame, because this movie could have been even better. Doug, you;re an amazing writer, but PLEASE, let someone else direct it next time. You need someone who has a visual style. Like Alan Ball had Sam Mendes on American Beauty. The writing was stellar, but the director put it together visually. I hope you make more films, you did an excellent job.

Too many movies these days make a woman the central character and shows all their problems etc. But its time movies were made about men, and finally this film has and its quite observant. Women should recognise that most of the things they dont like about the way theyre portrayed and treated is all theyre doing. Men are blamed, treated like s*** and still expected to be there solely for the women....This film shows the impact of such a society on a normal, well educated guy. Michael DeGood did a great job. The ending was laughable, but the director has alot of talent and potential and with a little more money will surely show what he's capable of. Its rare that a movie on late on cable will grab your attention enough that you are suddenly in the thick of the story and wanting to actually watch the whole thing.

The Pornographer is a pleasantly surprising movie. Contrary to its name, it is not a pornographic film, nor even a chincy hard R. Rather it is an insightful movie about a man who toys with the idea of making adult films.

This movie helps communicate more about the too little (seriously) explored male experience, just like Swingers did. Consequently, I disagree with some of the other posters' evaluations of the main character's lack of social ability.

With regards to sexually attracting women, young males often experience forms of frustration, humiliation, and insatiable, unfilled longing--unbeknownst and probably incomprehensible to most women who grew up with the privilege of being able to attract decent, fairly attractive members of the opposite sex with comparatively little effort and (little more than passive) risk of rejection. I know that the indignation and sense of injustice that I felt over how unbalanced the distribution of sexual power is scarred me for life. I am certain that it has had a significant (though publicly unacknowledged) negative effect on most men's psyches, even if the men were unable to identify it or verbalize it.

If you think that the main character is socially inadept, then you have missed an important part of the movie's context. The protagonist, Paul Ryan, is a typical twentysomething who lacks Don Juan's confidence and charm, an MBA, MD, Harvard Law degree, or high paying computer science job. Most young males have difficulty sexually attracting decent women with regularity. The protagonists' experiences at asking women out for a date were very ordinary and sadly all too commonplace.

If he truly lacked social skills he would have had difficulty fitting in at a high-powered law firm and his character would not have seemed as endearing to us. He did not seem to have difficulty talking to women; he just did not have the desire to expend large amounts of effort attracting them.

In the film he explained that he was satisfied with prostitutes, but as his character develops he comes to realize that he desires an actual romantic relationship and not just sex. The real tragedy of this movie is that his past experiences and propensities kept him from seeing the forest for the trees. He could have had a real relationship with Kate, and I think he wanted to, but he was so fixated with breaking into the world of pornographic film that he turned her into a business opportunity. I get the feeling that, as a result of his previous frustrations, he was almost unable to conceive of the possibility of his having a relationship with her, which is real sad.

The film raises an interesting question. Why didn't he enter into a romantic relationship with Kate instead of trying to push her into the world of pornographic film? Had he completely given up on women? Was he just determined to succeed as a pornographic filmmaker at any cost-even the heavy cost of foregoing a real relationship? Or was he unable to conceive of it?

The movie raises another interesting question that the filmmaker may not have intended to raise. Do men perceive a significant difference between (1) paying women for sex, which seems like a straightforward and honest undertaking and (2) asking, begging, bending over backwards to please women in the hopes that they will one day agree to go to bed with them, risking rejection and spending the same money (while investing much more time) wining and dining them? Is it possible that, for some frustrated men like the protagonist, he may have found more satisfaction and less degradation with prostitution?

This movie was good for the aforementioned reasons. However, in light of these questions, I wonder what the movie would have been like with a talented, serious scriptwriter who could further explore and develop those issues while maintaining the film's same overall tone and feel. It really does show just how far a good idea and content can take a film-the director produced a much better film than most of the big budget junk.

The Pornographer and Swingers are the only two movies I know of that seriously explore the male experience from a point of view that is at least peripherally sympathetic to males.

I saw this listed in my TV guide as playing at around 2:30 in the morning. It had no film synopsis, just "Film, starring Michael DeGood." Michael DeGood sounded like a porn star's name and it was named "The Pornographer" so I figured it was some low-grade porn flick. I didn't expect to watch it, but as I was flipping through channels late on Friday night I came across it and was immediately interested because of the fact that, despite its cheap "feel" and porn-film style, it was NOT a porn film and was in fact a very interesting character piece.

It seemed to be a movie like "Taxi Driver" -- an examination of a morally degraded man unable to make contact with the outside world. DeGood is no Robert De Niro but he did come across as a very realistic person.

Whereas "Boogie Nights" was an excellent satire/examination of the porn industry, "Pornographer" is more of a realistic examination of a porn addict and an average man. It's more honest than "Boogie Nights" through the fact that it's less stylistic and more raw and dirty -- more nudity, often appearing as if it's a porn film, but never losing sight of its goal.

I liked the honesty of DeGood's character. He can't talk to women but he can watch a porn film and talk dirty to the screen. Somehow it seemed very real. A balding, average guy seemed to me the perfect choice for the character of Paul.

Overall "The Pornographer" isn't as good as "Boogie Nights" but for my money it's more of an honest portrayal of a man rather than an industry. It's a really good character piece -- don't be deceived by the title!

Every so often, a distinguished film comes out of the independent ranks. This is such a film. This is a story about a young man's descent into the sordid world of pornography. Paul Ryan (Michael DeGood) is an ordinary guy who works in a law firm as a paralegal. Paul is socially inept and a loser with women so he turns to pornography to dissipate his sexual needs. Ultimately he becomes obsessed with pornography and when the market can no longer fill his needs, he decides to make his own films using a hooker and an out of work actor. He visits Spano (Craig Wasson), a major porn producer who tells him he will let Paul direct his films if he brings Spano some fresh talent. This leads to his meeting and ruthless seduction of Kate (Katheryn Cain), a sweet and naïve girl from Tennessee who came to Hollywood in search of fame.

The story by first time writer/director Doug Atchison was penetrating, raw and real. This was a far more serious and realistic treatment of the pornography industry than the highly popular `Boogie Nights'. While `Boogie Nights' was more of a light, comedic lampoon of the industry, this film is a dark, hard hitting look at the culture and psychology of the makers and users of pornographic material. While there is a certain amount of sexual content, most of the film focuses on the characters and their helplessness within the vortex produced by the porn industry. Atchison captures the sense of hopeless desperation that exists among the consumers and actors, and the callous exploitation of these human emotions by the powerful porn magnates.

This film was released direct to video after a film festival release. From a production standpoint, it is about what you would expect from a low budget independent film, cheesy sets, uneven sound, and boring music. However, Atchison has a knack with the camera and his script is smart and incisive. The scenes were well directed and the actors, most of whom had very short resumes, were nicely orchestrated and insightfully presented.

The cast had numerous pleasant surprises. Craig Wasson is a veteran actor who has done a lot of TV and some minor movie roles. He was very convincing as the callous porn producer. Michael DeGood was outstanding in the starring role. He played Paul as insecure and desperately lonely, while also being obsessive and determined. He was extremely effective at portraying both the lows and highs that the character required. As far as I can determine, Katheryn Cain was the personification of her part in the story, an utterly fresh face. She was outstanding as the inexperienced small town girl who desperately wanted to be a star, and was susceptible to the unscrupulous manipulations of those who wanted to exploit her.

This is a superb film, especially by an independent filmmaker and a first time director. I rated it an 8/10. This first-rate film noir offering requires a thick skin and tolerance for disturbing sexual themes. Viewers offended by the idea of pornography should steer clear.

Doug Atchinson deserves much more notice than indie filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Ed Burns, and Tarantino. Here he has created a film with great casting, acting, dialogue, plot, and pacing.

What really makes this film gripping is DeGood's incredibly believable portrayal of a lonely, awkward, yet likeable young man.

This film follows the life of Paul, a paralegal who is horrible with women, and to be honest, he's basically a total loser that spends almost all of his time outside of work, renting, viewing, thinking about, and fantasizing about porn movies. It's clear why he can't get a date...he talks to girls like he's a scared ten year old boy. He does a good job at work, and his bosses seem to be pleased with his work, but it's just not enough for Paul. Being such a failure with women, he goes to a local hooker of all people for advice. She tells him to get tickets to a show and invite a girl to go with him. This doesn't work too well, being that Paul has absolutely no social skills whatsoever, so he turns to what else? Porn movies. Making his own porn movies that is. He gets an out of work actor and the hooker he went to for advice on women to star in his very very low budget films, and he gets to the point where he takes them to a big shot porn producer-hoping to get them distributed. He makes a deal with the producer, but he has to find a fresh new star in return, instead of the hookers he regularly uses for his movies. This all leads to Paul's downward spiral into the dark world of porn, and it goes from there.

The movie is really good, and unlike one of the other comments, I think the movie was shot really well. I think it had a very professional feel to it, and I applaud the director. The actors in this movie, tho very much unknown, are really awesome, and they make the film. It's an original story, and the characters are very complex...only problem is, I hated Paul so much. I mean, the guy is just horrible. He's not only weird, but in the end, it turns out that he's just like every other guy in the business he enters...cold and calculating, lying to women anyway he can to make money off of them. It's dark overall, yet I don't think the sex scenes are very graphic at all...some might disagree, but I didn't have a problem with that aspect. The writer/producer/director, first time filmmaker Doug Atchison is on the money here, and I think he did just a top rate job. The movie isn't for everyone, but I think in general, most people will like it. My rating 9/10.

If you like escapist cinema, then "The Pornographer" is not for you. This film probes, with painful honesty, the depths of one man's isolation. It contains far less sexual content than one would expect from the title alone.

Its message is neither pro-pornography nor anti-pornography; rather, porn serves as a metaphor for any type of artificially constructed pleasure that is more illusory than real. By showing that no lasting fulfillment can be found in the material world alone, director Doug Atchison defies the industry in which he works. It's a wonder this film ever got made.

I have just seen this movie not 5 minutes ago and was absolutley blown away by this peice of art. Yes I used piece of art, cause this is ultimately what it is. I am in the film and theatre buissness and have not been touched, moved, and overjoyed over a film since I first saw Memento and before that was the first time I saw clerks. This work was an amazingly shot and acted piece it left me in tears. The fact that it was an indie flick makes it that much more clear to me that the best work in the business is coming out of independent film. The film showed the touching story of corruption in a man that seems like he can't be. You feel for every character in this film including the pornography producer. If you want a film that is just a joy to watch and makes you feel something get this one instantly

I felt a little self-conscious sitting down to a movie with this title, and was pleasantly surprised by the nature of the story. It's a more compelling character piece than I had expected. While some of the main character's actions push the limits of believability, I found the story to be entirely engaging. The main character is at times (many times) pathetic, and wonderfully portrayed by the lead actor (although I'm too lazy to go look up his name on the box).

The look of the picture is really what pulled me in -- right from the first shots. Moody and creepy and silky, and I felt like I was right there in that strip club. Kudos to the visual sense of the cinematographer and director.

Overall, a thought provoking, unsettling, and good to look at movie.

I first checked out "The Pornographer" because it starred my favorite B-movie actress, Monique Parent. First, I was surprised to see that Craig Wasson was also in it. Then, I was surprised to see that the acting all around was quite good. Finally, I was further surprised that this movie was actually very dark, serious, and thought-provoking, and wondered why it was I had never heard about it before.

Michael DeGood is quite good as the socially weak, sniveling protagonist Paul whose characteristics as such help explain his terrible luck with women. Craig Wasson turns in his best performance in years as Spano, the suave, cold and calculating porn producer. Newcomer Katheryn Cain is extra sweet and innocent, I hopefully look forward to seeing her in more movies in the near future. And of course, Monique Parent is beautiful as always and terrific in her role as the temptress pornstar turned renegade producer. I like seeing Parent in film festival-type stuff, and I hope to see her in more movies like "The Pornographer" (she's actually done several such films, though only a few have been picked up for distribution).

Most of the first act is devoted to analyis of the central character, as we see Paul trying to procur a date, failing everytime, and eventually asking out the hooker whom he regularly employs the services of. The sequence of him accidentally asking out a 15y/o girl is particularly gripping, as we are not sure if he realizes the girl's age, or actually has pedophilic tendencies (or, perhaps we are witnessing the unintended origins of such tendencies). Another scene that stands out for me is when he visits the private booth and talks via phone to the stripper behind the glass. I couldn't help but be reminded of the scene in "Taxi Driver" when Travis tries to get Betsy to go on another date with him, but similarly gets turned down.

So Paul, feeling utterly hopeless and dull in life, tries his hand at the subject he is most familiar with: pornography. He turns out to be somewhat of a natural at it, and is immediately taken under the wing of Spano (Wasson), who offers to give Paul the opportunity to make some 'real' videos (i.e. - with actors, not hookers). If, however, Paul can find a 'pure girl'. A chance accident leads Paul to meet such a girl - Kate (Cain). But Paul fails at getting close to her, of course, and instead of meeting Spano's challenge, Paul opts for the quicker, easier route of making lesser quality videos for Charise (Parent). However, she soon turns out to be simply using Paul for her own personal gain, and so he finds himself back to Spano and his challenge to Paul. Ultimately, we come to the best scene of the movie - Paul's on-camera seduction of Kate. This scene is done with such intensity and a sinister sense of innocence being lost that you can't help but hope Paul turns his life around to develop his relationship with Kate rather than ruthlessly use her as his ticket to success.

With just this one film, writer/director Doug Atchison has proven himself more talented than so many other independent directors who are mass-worshiped after only doing one picture. His strength is definitely in his writing, as he presents us with a fully-dimensional main character that we simultaneously feel pity for and disgust towards. I believe Atchison does justice to portraying today's porn industry in all its cold reality, where people are exploited and in turn exploit others, and those who can't handle it (i.e. - the heroin-addicted fallen starlet) are literally left on the curb. Also, for a movie about pornography, there is little nudity - a sign of a skilled filmmaker. Atchison was probably hindered by a limited budget in showing off very much directing-wise here. However, the almost Cassavetes-like documentary style works for this particular movie. He shows shades of influence from Scorsese as well.

The only major flaw I had with this movie was the somewhat slapstick ending, although it still serves to transmit the message of individuals getting forced into a dead-end situation - in this case, the porn industry. The final shot is truly haunting though, and quickly makes you overlook the slightly contrived ending. Besides, I can name over a dozen other great and heralded independent films with utterly ridiculous attempts at a brilliant and all-satisfying finale. "The Pornographer" is just about as good as they come, and I hope to see more projects by Atchison in the future. 9/10.

I really enjoyed this film. The story was well written, and you truly feel for the main character...Katheryn Cain is excellent in her role, and someone you should look for in the future! This was one of those movies that I wanted to buy as soon as I finished watching it...highly recommended!

I have to admit I wasn't going to watch this film thinking it was another "Skinemax" softcore film (which I needed like I need a hole in the head) but after reading the storyline I decided to at least see what it was about. I'm glad I did. I am somewhat into film-making also (not porn) so anything about indie film-making grabs my attention.

I think if this film had been filled with nudity or exploitative (as it could've been) it would've lost me and I bet many others as viewers. (As one-sided as it was I liked "Breast Men" but I thought the naked breast between scene were simply there to sale an unneeded skin factor). This was a real story. If you like this you may like another film like it called "Diary of a Sex Addict". While not as good as this it really manages to keep you on the edge of your seat considering what happens to the main actor. Also it's shot in video which was great for the narrative although it tried to be a bit exploitive but managed to not really go there.

I know people who have been addicted to porn so watching this film (both of them actually) really spoke to me. Another funny thing is when enough people know you own a video camera, someone will always eventually ask you would be willing to make a porn film. Porn is a very powerful drug. I love the way DeGood looked at the camera when it came in the mail and the scene between DeGood and the lawyer. She really takes him to task about it, but the way the scene ended was great too because she didn't hate him she just thought what he was doing was really sleazy and broke it down to him. I also loved his reaction which was somewhat of shame but this was something he really wanted to do. Very well directed.

Another thing was watching him get his girls for the films. I had a laugh about it somewhat considering this is almost similar to how indie directors of non-porn films try to get actors. The most quiet of us can become Mr. Marketer when it comes to getting talent for a project. It's a great film and considering all the crap I've seen it's memorable.

The moment occurs when Paul is at his lowest point in his pre-porno directoral phase in Atchison's "The Pornographer." He slips his ten dollar bill in the cash acceptor; a slight detail that seeming prices Paul's failure as a communicator in a media dense realm. He watches as the girl dances - moves - sways for him. His eyes are deep, their interest purely on the figure. He speaks through the phone, asking the girl to say "I love you." She pauses - another detail that is subtlely breezed over - and spouts off standardized garb for her watcher. It is a quick scene, not nearly as profound as DeNiro's Travis Bickle staring into a glass of water liquidating alka seltzer. Yet, the acting and the pacing really pull of something magical. Paul's character is found within these images. This specific scene is startlingly poetic in understating the emptiness in Paul's fantasies and his need for understanding of his own problematic life. Atchison really holds something marvelous here; an interesting loser whose own problems cannot and will not be solved by anyone - let alone himself - and the journey he takes into understanding what his desires and goals mean to him and also the sad pattern that they seem to hold in society.

Yet, the film also falters at points; looking specifically at the ending and also the final image the film leaves the viewer with. Nothing destroys an intriguing character study like a mutilated cliche.

Problems aside; RENT IT! Films like this (also filmmakers) deserve far more opportunity and publicity than is ever given to them.

A consummately made independent film which succeeds at all levels: writing, direction, performance. More a character piece than a docudrama about pornography, THE PORNOGRAPHER explores the forces that might lead an ordinary guy into the extraordinary world of adult videomaking -- and vividly depicts the price he ultimately pays for his excesses. The movie explores the porno issue from all angles, but definitely arrives at a clear point-of-view, which puts it head and shoulders above most indie films. The actors are all completely believable. The humor is dead on. And the chilling finale will stay with you for days. This film is a must see.

I rented this from my local video store under the impression it was a different movie I've been hearing about, listed at IMDB as "The Pornographer: A Love Story (2000)" http://us.imdb.com/Details?0246157 . O fortunate fault, this was quite a good piece of work. I agree with the earlier comment which compared this favorably to "Boogie Nights".

Among the actors, I was particularly impressed by Katheryn Cain and by veteran Craig Wasson. His was a rather familiar face, though I hadn't previously really noted his name, as I will now. (I thought he looked like Bill Maher, and was thus briefly intrigued to see a Maher listed in the long list of "special thanks" credits.)

I guess it's unlikely that in 1999 Kimberly Williams (http://us.imdb.com/Name?Williams,+Kimberly+(I)) would still have been doing a nearly invisible bit part in an indie production, but I thought that was her as the new hire Paul is introduced to in the first law firm scene.

I really liked this film because I thought the Director successfully captured a lonely man's journey as he walks on the wild side. He successfully created an Everyman in his lead character, portrayed successfully by Michael DeGood. The character of Paul Ryan is not too handsome or too bland. He's the man on the train. The one standing on line in the video store. A harmless, invisible who lacks the social conditioning that most people find easy and happenstance. He can't talk to women. There's no reason why. He just doesn't know how and he faces his fear by conquering it in the art form of something he understands. Fantasy. Porn. What I liked most about this movie is that nothing felt forced. It was just the road not taken by most individuals. And it was an interesting journey.

I gave it a nine because I did have problems with the ending but that's for you to decide if it works for you. Check it out!

Simply put, I saw this movie on Cinemax late one night. I thought for sure with a title like The Pornographer I would be looking at an entirely different kind of picture. I loved it. I especially noticed Monique Parents performance which was believable and wonderful! She hasn't been able to show off her talent that often in most of her films. I would say see this picture... expecting something different and you will love it.

I just rented this movie because of the title and the summary on the back cover of the box. I usually rent indies or others that I have never seen and become bored within 20 minutes. I was impressed by the many qualities this film had. The acting was on point, the camera moved well, straight up and the story was pretty tight. It's a strange film, the plot, the" why?"someone would make it and I just can't figure it out but it's really good and the way I know that is because I was glued. DeGood was the perfect Paul, so creepy and off tint, I wonder if he really is like that. Good performances all around. I can imagine that one wasn't easy to finance, lots of credit cards used there. But it done good. Good Work. Director, DP, Cast ...etc.