Customer Reviews

The People vs Larry Flynt (Special Edition)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a great film, great acting, great story that is all about pushing boundaries; within the status quo. It is a bit dark, and yet has some realistic elements, i love that it is based on a true story. Courtney Love is genius in it, and Woody Harelson is amazing too!~

When Ronald Reagan became the President, a shift to conservatism occurred in Hollywood and the media. Hustler founder Larry Flynt flirted with Christianity, but it did not take. When his editors suggested that the Reagan mood should portend more "family friendly" fare, Flynt fired that messenger and went from sick and disgusting to really hardcore porn (which is better than sick and disgusting). He aligned himself against the Republicans, who were asking 7-11s to keep their porn mags away from minors (a move since described by liberals as tantamount to Stalinist censorship). In 1998, Flynt became the mouthpiece of the Democrat party, a de facto Clinton spokesman and unofficial public relations firm for the DNC. In 2003 he decided to run for Governor of California as a Democrat. While his intentions may be to benefit the Democrats, he could not have harmed them more. Republicans need say nothing about this fact. It exists for what it is, on it face. Republicans just smile and say, "Hey, you Democrats, you can have Larry Flynt." They have him and he has them. A mariage made in...?

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM

"The People Vs. Larry Flint" is one of the most controversial releases of 1996, starring Woody Harrelson, Edward Norton, and Courtney Love. It earned two Oscar nominations and two Golden Globe wins. This real-life film wonderfully desplicts Larry Flint's struggle to publish "Hustler", a sexually explicit magazine. He risks his freedom to prove that the bans violate the First Amendment on the US Bill of Rights, which is freedom of speech. Through every step, he causes tremendous controversy throughout the country. Some love him, some hate him. Either way, nobody can get enough of him. The plot is brilliant. The daring material expressed deserves tremendous respect for doing what few writers have dared. The climatic story keeps audiences interested in every scene, always wondering what Flint will say or do next. The unexpected events keep the energy intact. His eccentric behavior adds a more interesting flavor to the film.

Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love prove that they were made for their roles. Harrelson's Oscar nominated performance as Larry Flint is the best in his career. Nobody else could have played Flint better. Love makes a triumphant film debut in her Golden Globe nominated role as Athena, Flint's wife. Her erratic behavior is wonderfully displayed through every scene. Athena's life struggles are beautifully expressed. Edward Norton's role as Flint's lawyer is beautifully performed. All other performers also acted their roles wonderfully.

"The People Vs. Larry Flint" is a great film for those looking for something risque. This is sure to please audiences of all kinds.

Larry Flynt is a sleaze, and he's not afraid to exlpoit that fact. The People Vs. Larry Flynt doesn't make him look like a saint, as some have said. Milos Forman is a great director, and he takes this material and turns it into a very compelling look at a man, (who is very sleazy, mind you), that cared immensely about the First Amendment and turned the judicial system upside down. (And made and spent lots of money!) Like it or not, Flynt is a crusader for free speech in the annals of American history. Great film, and FINALLY a great DVD. However, where's the Forman commentary?

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 ìs 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.

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.

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

In 'The People Vs. Larry Flynt' a porn mogul is made to look like some kind of hero or saint. Are we honestly supposed to believe the crap thrown in here? This sleazy man made to look like a victim of an evil society??

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!

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.