The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A lot of fun.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This is a great biographical film based on the infamous Hustler magazine owner Larry Flint and his various battles with the US jurisdiction. Woody Harrlelson is in fine form as the titular character and Edward Norton, a new face when the film was made more than holds his own against far more experienced thespians. All in all if you enjoy court house films you will probably enjoy this one as well. Also Milos Forman is a legend who has made One flew over the cuckoo's nest and Amadeus and just for that you should give this one a shot.

I expected something more provocative and daring from Milos Forman, after all he has won two Oscars for best director. Instead I get a rather boring film which masquerades as an impassioned fight for free speech.Larry Flynt is a sleazy, provocative and abrasive personality. In the movie we see Larry (Woody Harrelson) and his brother run a strip club in Cincinnati where he is known for sleeping with the strippers. There he ends up with a long term relationship Althea (Courtney Love) on the verge of just being old enough to be the new sripper and the woman Larry later marries.Like most men, Larry notices that people did not buy Playboy to read the articles. They wanted to see pictures of naked women and he published Hustler, which offered women in more explicit poses. Larry even managed to obtain nude shots of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis which sent sales through the roof. However Larry's success in porn also attracts the attention of anti porn campaigners and the ire of the religious right who took him to court.Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton) is the frustrated young lawyer who takes on Larry as a client and has to put up with his erratic behaviour as they fight for first amendment rights. Both take a bullet for their troubles leaving Larry paralysed.Now I am not going to get prudish here. Larry Flynt is a pornographer, he had sex with his strippers, he exploited women, took advantage of the unequal relationship he had with women under is control whether it be in a strip club or a photo studio. Larry is no champion of free speech, it just helps him get where he wants to go just as befriending President's Carter sister was convenient for him. Frankly Ruth Carter is the only interesting character in this movie.You know this film has been sanitized to please Larry as he appears in the film as a judge. Woody Harrelson plays Larry as an erratic quirky clown, a sexed up one who might also be a manic depressive. I can certainly understand the psychological trauma he felt after being paralysed.Both Harrelson and Norton give good performances, Courtney Love was ok but she looked too old for someone who was technically a minor when she first met Larry. You can tell how bankrupt this film is. It wants to be provocative and titillate its audience, yet when Love poses for the nude shots, she is covered up by objects or conveniently clothed in lingerie.

This is a great biographical film based on the infamous Hustler magazine owner Larry Flint and his various battles with the US jurisdiction. Woody Harrlelson is in fine form as the titular character and Edward Norton, a new face when the film was made more than holds his own against far more experienced thespians. All in all if you enjoy court house films you will probably enjoy this one as well. Also Milos Forman is a legend who has made One flew over the cuckoo's nest and Amadeus and just for that you should give this one a shot.

Milos Forman's "The People vs. Larry Flynt" tells the true story of how Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt unwittingly became a crusader for freedom of speech. Beginning in the early 1970's, the movie follows Flynt as he builds a porn empire with his racy alternative to Playboy. Of course, pushing the boundaries of good taste has a tendency to ruffle some people's feathers, so he quickly (and frequently) finds himself involved in various legal wranglings. Defending his business interests, he stands his ground on the premise of freedom of speech.Thankfully, the Golden Globe-winning screenplay doesn't paint Flynt as a selfless crusader for human rights. He straddles the grey area between hero & anti-hero and the script doesn't go out of its way to sway you one way or the other. The premise is fascinating on its own but further colour is added by way of delving into other areas of Flynt's life.Portraying Flynt is Woody Harrelson in his first Oscar-nominated performance. He carries the movie, creating a portrayal that makes Flynt likable as a character, regardless of what you think of his profession. Courntney Love also got a fair amount of attention as Flynt's wife but I'm not completely sold on her presence here. More memorable, in my mind, is Edward Norton in an early role as Flynt's long-suffering lawyer. The supporting cast is generally reliable as well, including Harrelson's brother Brett as Larry's younger brother Jimmy.Milos Forman's direction is top notch, as expected. He received an Oscar nomination and took home a Golden Globe for his efforts. The movie has an attractive look that is vividly brought to life with attention to detail in the period-specific costumes & sets. Some period-specific soundtrack selections further enhanced the movie's feel.All in all, "The People vs. Larry Flynt" is a fascinating portrait of a man of dubious morals who ended up fighting for the free speech of all Americans. With fine direction and acting thrown into the mix, the movie is a unique, entertaining tale of a true rebel, though one that is unlikely to appeal to all tastes due to the risqué subject matter.