The People vs. Larry Flynt (Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of The People vs. Larry Flynt (Special Edition)
Movie Review: It`s Just Porn, Mom
Summary: 3 Stars
This is, without a doubt, an original, inventive and quite offbeat bio, which isn`t all that surprising given its subject matter. Instead of a predictable, by-the-numbers approach, director Milos Forman actually manages to bring his main character to life, exposing his personality and making him a real love-or-loathe kind of person. Woody Harrelson is convincing as Larry Flynt, and the other actors manage to deliver excellent performances, too (Edward Norton as his lawyer and particularly Courtney Love as the messed-up Althea).
The story cleverly touches the polictically correcteness of the US, which ?s an interesting move, but in the process it also seems to glorify Flynt a bit too much. Still, for the most part, it suceeds in presenting all the controversy in an engaging, quirky and entertaining manner. The picture is also longer than it really needs, as the court scenes start becoming repetitive and tedious at parts. Yet, there are some memmorable moments to discover here (Althea`s declining situation is gut-wretching, and Courtney Love incorporates the character rather well in a beliavable performance that gets better as the plot unfolds).
All in all, not a masterpiece, just a fine accomplishment about a tricky and difficult subject matter. A serious, funny, moving and though-provoking cinematic experience.
Recommended.
Movie Review: Superb biography with an edge to it
Summary: 5 Stars
Telling the story of Larry Flynt, the unsympathetic character behind Hustler magazine, was always going to be a hard job. However, Foreman's movie manages to pull it off thanks to great jobs from all round. It starts with a brief clip of Flynt's early life as a boy, peddling booze to redneck farmers and throwing a jug at his father, who's drunk all his wares. Fastforward to his strip joints where he meets feisty, unpredictable but undeniably sexy Althea (Love). Before long they've set up Hustler magazine and not long after that they find themselves in a series of court cases concerning the decency of Flynt's publication. The story really switches gears though when Flynt is gunned down by a sniper's bullet, leading to his Althea's drug addiction and Flynt's increasing eccentricity.The fact that not only is the direction good, but the acting and script are also brilliant. Woody Harrellson gives the best performance of his career as Flynt, evoking sympathy in a character that's bravely rarely played for the sympathy vote. Courtney Love was born to play the role of grungy white trash glamourous drug addict Althea and pulls it off so convincing that it's surprising that she was nominated for an Oscar as well as a Golden Globe. Edward Norton turns in another great performance in the supporting role of Flynt's lawyer and anyone who's seen his performances in American History X or Primal Fear won't need to hear any more convincing about his abilities as an actor.
The best part of the story is the pathetic nature that it draws out in its protagonists. Love in particular enters her character so much that when she wraps her arms around her husband after just using his drugs it's close to heartbreaking. Whilst the argument for Flynt as a liberator of free speech may seem a bit over the top (despite some very funny scenes in the courtroom), the film gently suggests the intense melancholy behind the larger than life character. The last scene especially evokes this superbly, with Larry watching videos of his wife telling him that he'll grow old and ugly as she's playfully dancing naked for him. As the camera shows us Larry's face we know that he realises this to be true as he's sat alone in his luxurious bedroom despite his greatest victory against the Supreme Court.
Movie Review: Political bias, certainly. Yet it's still a good movie.
Summary: 3 Stars
There certainly is a political bias in the film. Yes, the film does appear to actively celebrate pornography within our society by honoring Larry Flyntt as a "hero" of the First Amendment. However, the film is actually done in a fairly entertaining way, showcasing who Larry Flyntt is -- without any attempt to cover up his most well-known distusting publications, including the woman being pushed into the meat grinder. The story focuses on Larry Flyntt's case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Hustler v. Falwell, which dealt with the First Amendment case related to whether Larry Flyntt had the right to publish a pictorial representation of religious icon Jerry Falwell having sexual relations with his mother, in an outhouse (of all places!) with the description, "Falwell's first time." The issue in the case is whether one is able to defame Falwell, a public figure, if people clearly would understand that the ad is false. Clearly, Falwell would never have enganged in such behavior. The U.S. Supreme Court said that Flyntt could publish such material because no one would believe that Falwell would do that, and thus, he received no harm.
The irony is that the movie, while called The People v. Larry Flyntt, is simply not true, because the dispute between Falwell and Flyntt was a civil, not criminal, issue. Now Flyntt has been subject to obscenity prosecutions, too, but that is not the subject of this movie. Overall, the movie is well done and and quite entertaining, too.
Michael Gordon
Los Angeles
Movie Review: EXCELLENT FLICK
Summary: 5 Stars
What a great movie!! Commanding performances by all, especially Courtney Love. What a haunting and brilliant performance by her as the beautiful and damned Althea Flynt, in my opinion this role hit her close to home.. she is great!Movie Review: Wow!
Summary: 5 Stars
First off...Let me get this out of the way? Why doesn't anyone talk about Milos Forman? The guy is one of the best filmmakers ever and nobody talks about him. Anyway, PVLF is a classic...Period. Harrelson, Love, Norton all turn in amazing performances. The set design, music, cinematography, direction, writing are all flawless. Any movie where we want to cry for Flynt in the end is a must see movie. One of the best flicks ever in my humble opinion.