| The People vs. Larry Flynt | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Miloš Forman |
| Produced by | Oliver Stone Janet Yang Michael Hausman |
| Written by | Scott Alexander Larry Karaszewski |
| Starring | Woody Harrelson Courtney Love Edward Norton Richard Paul James Cromwell Donna Hanover Crispin Glover Vincent Schiavelli |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
| Cinematography | Philippe Rousselot |
| Editing by | Christopher Tellefsen |
| Studio | Phoenix Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 13, 1996 (NYFF) December 25, 1996 (United States) |
| Running time | 129 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million[1] |
| Box office | $20,300,385[2] |
The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine publisher and editor Larry Flynt, and his subsequent clash with the law. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, and Edward Norton.[3]
The film was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. It spans about 25 years of Flynt's life from his impoverished upbringing in Kentucky to his court battle with Reverend Jerry Falwell, and is based in part on the U.S. Supreme Court case Hustler Magazine v. Falwell. The film grossed just over $20.3 million domestically with a budget of $35 million.
Contents |
The film opens with a 10-year-old Larry Flynt (Cody Block) in 1953, as selling moonshine in an Appalachian region of Kentucky. The narrative then advances 20 years. Flynt (Woody Harrelson) and his younger brother, Jimmy (played by Brett Harrelson, Woody's younger brother) run a Hustler Go-Go club in Cincinnati. With profits down, Flynt decides to publish a "newsletter" for the club - the first Hustler magazine, full of nude pictures of women working at the club, in the hopes of attracting customers. The newsletter soon becomes a full-fledged magazine, but sales are weak. It's only after Hustler publishes nude pictures of former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis that sales take off, partially due to all the publicity surrounding the photos.
Flynt, a habitual womanizer, becomes particularly smitten with Althea Leasure (Courtney Love), a runaway-turned-stripper who works at one of his dance clubs. With help from Althea and Jimmy, Flynt makes a fortune from sales of Hustler, and other business activities. With all his success, naturally, comes enemies - as he finds himself a hated figure of conservative, anti-pornography activists. He argues with the activists, one of a number of themes the film explores: in one scene, he argues that "murder is illegal, but if you take a picture of it you may get your name in a magazine or maybe win a Pulitzer Prize". "However", he continues, "sex is legal, but if you take a picture of that act, you can go to jail". Flynt becomes involved in several prominent court cases, and befriends a young, whip-smart lawyer, Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton). In 1975, Flynt loses a smut-peddling court decision in Cincinnati, but escapes jail time when the case is thrown out on a technicality, thereby beginning his long clash with the legal system. (The real Larry Flynt plays the presiding judge in a cameo appearance.) Ruth Carter Stapleton (Donna Hanover), a Christian activist and sister of President Jimmy Carter, seeks out Flynt and urges him to give his life to Jesus. Flynt seems moved and starts letting his newfound religion influence everything in his life, including Hustler content, much to the chagrin of staffers and Althea alike.
In 1978, during another trial in Georgia, Flynt and Isaacman are both shot by a man with a rifle while they walk outside a courthouse. Isaacman recovers, but Flynt is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Wishing he was dead, Flynt renounces God. Because of the emotional and physical pain, he moves to Beverly Hills and spirals down into severe depression and drug use. During this time, Althea begins to dabble in Flynt's pain medications, eventually becoming hooked on painkillers and morphine.
In 1983, Flynt undergoes surgery to deaden several nerves, and as a result of it, feels rejuvenated. He returns to an active role with the publication. In his absence, Althea and Jimmy run Hustler, removing any Christian influence in its content. Flynt is soon in court again, and is told to provide his source regarding a video tape of a drug deal. During his ever-increasing courtroom antics, Flynt fires Isaacman on the spot, then throws an orange at the judge, all the while refusing to name his source. Flynt is sent to a psychiatric ward, where he sinks into depression again. Before going to the psychiatric ward, Flynt publishes a satirical parody ad where famous evangelical minister Jerry Falwell (Richard Paul) "speaks about his first time", and tells of a sexual encounter with his mother. Falwell sues for libel and inflicting emotional distress. Flynt countersues for copyright infringement (because Falwell copied his ad). Everything ends up in court in December 1984, attracting the attention of the media. The jury's decision is a mixed one, as Flynt is found guilty of inflicting emotional distress but not libel.
By that time, Althea has contracted HIV, which proceeds to AIDS. Some time later in 1987, Flynt finds her dead in the bathtub, having drowned (possibly as the result of an overdose, though this is unclear in the film). With his true love gone, Flynt presses Isaacman to appeal the Falwell decision to the Supreme Court of the United States. Isaacman refuses, saying Flynt's manic courtroom antics humiliate him. Flynt pleads with him, saying that he "wants to be remembered for something meaningful". Isaacman agrees and argues the "emotional distress" decision in front of the Supreme Court, in a case the media nickname "God versus the Devil" (actually Hustler Magazine v. Falwell in 1988). While Flynt is uncharacteristically quiet in the courtroom, Isaacman argues the case and wins, with the court overturning the original verdict in a unanimous decision. The film culminates with Flynt's victory; after the trial is over, Flynt is shown alone in his bedroom wistfully watching old videotapes of a healthy Althea.
In the scene where Flynt is shot, attorney Isaacman is the other person wounded. In reality, Isaacman was not present at the shooting. It was Flynt's Georgia attorney, Gene Reeves Jr., who was wounded with him. The scene preceding the shooting shows Flynt and his attorney being pursued by a mob of reporters. In reality, the Lawrenceville trial was lightly covered (because Flynt was on trial so frequently), and the two men were walking quietly to lunch at a nearby restaurant.
Also, when Flynt appears in federal court in Los Angeles, court security is provided by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies. This would not happen in real life, as the U.S. Marshals Service provides such security in federal court. L.A. County sheriff's deputies provide security for state courts in the county. In the film, the judge refers to the deputies as "marshals," but they are wearing L.A. County Sheriff's Department uniforms.
While Althea's death scene is fairly accurate, it shows the paraplegic Flynt on the phone with a doctor he has called regarding Althea's condition when he spots water appearing from under the bathroom door. He drops the handset and scrambles to the bathroom in his wheelchair, where he finds her drowned, picks her out of the bathtub and cradles her dead body. In reality, the overweight Flynt could not so much as drag himself out of his bed without assistance and when he saw water seeping under the bathroom door, it was two maids whom Flynt summoned by the bedroom intercom who were the ones who found Althea in the bathtub after she drowned.
The People vs. Larry Flynt received generally positive reviews; based on 53 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 87%, with an average score of 7.7/10.[4]
The film was a hit in limited releases.[5] Based on a $35 million budget[1], the film grossed a domestic total of $20,300,385.[2]
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | Best Actor | Woody Harrelson | Nominated |
| Best Director | Milos Forman | Nominated | |
| Berlin International Film Festival | Golden Bear Award | Milos Forman | Won |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Supporting Actor | Edward Norton | Won |
| Best Supporting Actress | Courtney Love | Won | |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association | Best Picture | (film) | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Actor | Edward Norton | Won |
| Most Promising Actress | Courtney Love | Won | |
| European Film Award | Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema | Milos Forman | Won |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Award | Best Supporting Actor | Edward Norton | Won |
| Best Supporting Actress | Courtney Love | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Director - Motion Picture | Milos Forman | Won |
| Best Screenplay - Motion Picture | Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski | Won | |
| Best Motion Picture - Drama | (film) | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role - Drama | Woody Harrelson | Nominated | |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role - Drama | Courtney Love | Nominated | |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle | Best Film | (film) | Won |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award | Best Supporting Actor | Edward Norton | Won |
| National Board of Review of Motion Pictures: | Freedom of Expression Award | Milos Forman and Oliver Stone | Won |
| New York Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actress | Courtney Love | Won |
| MTV Movie Award | Best Breakout Performance | Courtney Love | Nominated |
| Satellite Award | Best Original Screenplay | Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski | Won |
| Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Courtney Love | Won | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor | Woody Harrelson | Nominated |
| Society of Texas Film Critics Award | Best Supporting Actor | Edward Norton | Won |
| Southeastern Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Edward Norton | Won |
| Writers Guild of America | Paul Selving Honorary Award | Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski | Won |
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