This film is a journey of identity for Eddie Adams. He goes from being a suburban high school dropout to a porn star, to a drug addict who resorts to armed robbery and prostitution in order to keep his addiction going. Anderson reveals the world of pornographic film-making in the 1970s and 1980s through the eyes of the protagonist in a way that shows the violence, loneliness and isolation of a life in the pornographic industry.
While pornography can appear to be something of a dream job for a sexually active young man, Anderson dismantles that romanticized idea and places before our eyes a reality that is far darker than merely having sex with multiple women and being paid for it. The story reveals the pain and isolation that is created within Eddie, a young man who never really got started in life when he was "discovered" by porn producer Jack Horner. Instead of being mentored into an identity that would build a solid foundation, Eddie is left to create his own persona in Dirk Diggler. The name and "star" quality became Eddie's armor that he slipped into, he was invincible, but also ignorant to the harsh realities of this new found fame within the culture of porn.
All of this changes when Little Bill kills his wife for sleeping with another man. He then turns the gun on the man and himself. The pent up pain, and the constant compromising that Little Bill made telling himself, "It's not a big deal." leads to an explosion of rage that destroys life. Not only his, but we watch as Dirk is impacted by this culture and begins to use drugs, another way of becoming a "star" so he doesn't have to feel the pain of emptiness in his life, until he's run so far and there's no more road left. Eventually, this reveals the devastating effect of not being raised by people who love you enough to build into you the ability to choose right from wrong. Eddie could leave it all behind, but he believes he has no other options and he goes deeper and deeper into the underbelly of this world until he is robbing people and is prostituting himself for money.
Anderson's film is a reality check. An exploration of this time and industry reveals how Eddie was chewed up and spit out in his soul and all that's left is the same system that has shut him out. Also, Anderson clues his audience in on the stigma the world casts onto the people working in the pornographic industry, how they are dangers to their children (see Amber attempting to get custody of her child). It is a harsh truth about romanticizing this industry.
