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All Movie Info
Starring:
Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, James Cromwell, Crispin Glover, Brett Harrelson, James Carville, Vincent Schiavelli, Richard Paul, Donna Hanover, Norm MacDonald, Miles Chapin, Jan Triska
Directed By:
Milos Forman
Written By:
Larry Karaszewski, Scott M. Alexander
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The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
January 20th, 2008
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Strange as it may sound, I walked away from this movie with a newfound respect for Larry Flynt, the controversial creator and publisher of Hustler magazine, which is much more tasteless and pornographic than any of its main competitors, most notably Playboy, which Flynt himself ridiculed because it had too much text and not enough pu**y. Flynt never defends his magazine, is the first to admit that it is raunchy and inappropriate for many people, but he also stands firmly on the argument that he is entitled to print whatever he likes under the protection of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with him, in response to a case that was filed against him by Jerry Falwell, the famous televangelist, who sued Flynt for libel after being informed of a parody in Hustler of a Smirnoff ad that claimed Falwell had sex with his mother in an outhouse.
The last segment of 'The People vs. Larry Flynt' deals with the legal duel between Flynt and Falwell. What precedes it is the story of the man's life, and the origins of his business, and his marriage to a bisexual stripper named Althea (Courtney Love). Flynt (Woody Harrelson) is the son of a moonshine maker in rural Kentucky. With his brother, Jimmy (Brett Harrelson), he starts running sleazy clubs in Cincinnati, before deciding to become a smut peddler. This is when Hustler is born. It doesn't sell well at first, because it is so explicit it violates existing obscenity laws, but it gains momentum, and Larry even goes to jail for it.
He is quickly antagonized by Charles Keating (James Cromwell), who believes filth like Hustler corrupts the minds of decent people and is dangerous to children and the community at large. Larry's lawyer is Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton), young, bright, and ambitious, but he finds Larry to be nearly impossible to represent, especially as his behavior in the courtroom grows increasingly outrageous, particularly once he is paralyzed by an assassin's bullet. Larry is morose and defiant, threatening to fire everybody, including his whole Hustler staff, but Althea remains the most important person in his life, even as she becomes a hopeless junkie and her body grows skinny and pale with AIDS. There is a time when Larry strikes up an odd relationship with Ruth Carter Stapleton (Donna Hanover), sister of President Jimmy Carter, who manages to make Larry religious again, though he doesn't seem too sincere in his convictions. One great scene has Larry pointing out the double standards regarding sex and violence; depictions of the former can get you sent to prison, while pictures of the latter can win you a Pulitzer.
Aren't images of violence just as troubling and harmful as images of sex? The MPAA displays much inconsistency here, with its willingness to award NC-17 ratings to movies with only one or two sex scenes, and R to movies with extreme violence. Woody Harrelson makes Larry larger-than-life, an obnoxious loudmouth with a big ego, but he perfectly captures the essence of the man, and pins down his voice and mannerisms. The real Larry Flynt appears as a judge in one of the first courtroom scenes. Harrelson never really bears a truly striking physical resemblance to Flynt, but every other aspect of his performance is flawless. Courtney Love proves herself to be a supremely talented actress, in a marvelous role that is filled with plenty of trash and tragedy. Norton is solid as the long-suffering Isaacman. And Richard Paul looks almost exactly like Jerry Falwell.
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