The People VsLarry Flynt (1996)
reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
This bio-pic follows Hustler entreprenuer Larry Flynt, played by Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers) from his start as a strip club owner, starting his first members only nudity newsletter. His newsletter starts taking off, and before you know it, Flynt is a multi millionaire after his Hustler Magazine publishes sun bathing paparazzi photos of Jackie Onasis. His millions continue to multiply, as well as his popularity, especially when first amendment issues are tested from the likes of Charles Keating, played by James Cromwell (The Green Mile), and notorious corporate Christian Jerry Falwell, played by Richard Paul. In retaliation, Flynt published a parody liquor ad in his mag which claims Falwell did all sorts of perverted acts growing up, like having sex with his mother in an outhouse. Falwell takes Flynt to court for mental distress. Eventually, the case goes to the Supreme Court, argued by Flynt's long time attorney Allen Isaacman, played by Edward Norton (Keeping the Faith). The case set a legal precidence for the U.S. towards public figures enduring ridicule by press entities in a parody. The subplot of the picture is Flynt's marriage to former stripper Althea Leasure, played by Courtney Love (Man on the Moon), their drug addiction together, and how she stayed by his side after he was permanently paralyzed from the waist down from an assassination attempt. In turn, Flynt stayed by Althea's side, even though he was able to kick his addiction and she wasn't, AND she ended up with AIDS in her later years. The picture is strong, but seems to move a little too fast in spots. Too much time is given to Flynt and Althea's drug addiction, which is also paced too slow for me. Otherwise, the cast is one of the strongest ensembles I've seen in that part of the 1990's. Harrelson was absolutely perfect. He nabbed an Academy Award® nomination that year. Norton was also top notch, and Courtney Love gave the best, most intense performance of her shallow film career. Bio-pic partners Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Man wrote the material on the Moon, Ed Wood), who has yet to write a poorly made film. At the helm was two time Academy Award winning director Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Coo-Coo's Net, Amadeus) who also worked with the screenwriters on "Man on the Moon." Forman had some pacing issues with this work, but for the most part, the importance of Flynt's contributions to the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution is the film's main focus. You may like Flynt as a person, but his achievements were important for the American people overall. I really enjoyed this bio-pic and is one of my favorites. I would strongly recommend seeing it, but don't expect to see a lot of beautiful naked women running around. Most of those in the picture are pretty harsh looking, including Love. Benn - Where's the Humanity?
It's tough to think of a pornographer as being an American hero, but that is exactly what "The People Vs Larry Flynt" achieves with its title character.