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Actors: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, James Cromwell, Brett Harrelson
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The People vs. Larry Flynt |
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Milos Forman's film follows Flynt from his childhood in Kentucky, where he made extra money for his dirt-poor family by selling the moonshine his father brewed, into adulthood as he manages a strip club in Cincinnati. While the club does middling business, the experience changes Flynt's life in two ways: he meets Althea (Courtney Love), an exotic dancer who becomes the love of his life, and he gets the bright idea of starting a magazine to promote the club. Marketed as a crasser, less pretentious alternative to Playboy or Penthouse, Hustler becomes a huge success after Flynt runs a photo series of Jacqueline Onassis sunbathing nude. However, while plenty of people are buying Hustler, there are also plenty of people who don't care for it, including Charles Keating (James Cromwell), leader of a watchdog group called Citizens For Decent Literature. Keating spearheads the first of many legal attacks on the magazine, one of which reaches the Supreme Court as Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton), Flynt's lawyer, debates the finer legal points of bad taste with the justices of the highest court in the land. Meanwhile, Flynt makes a fortune, loses the use of his legs after an attack by a sniper, and eventually loses Althea, who dies of AIDS after a long addiction to drugs. Woody Harrelson's brother Brett Harrelson is cast as Larry Flynt's brother Jimmy; Larry Flynt appears briefly as a judge who hands down a judgment against Larry Flynt.
--Tanya McKnight, Resident Scholar
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Loosely based on the life of the founder and publisher of Hustler magazine, this 1996 film directed by the great Czech director Milos Forman portrays Larry Flynt as a courageous (if obnoxious and troubled) champion of free speech rights. The story follows the ascent of his oddball publishing empire, battles in the courts with various law enforcement agents and Jerry Falwell, the drug difficulties of his wife Althea, and an assassination attempt that crippled Flynt. Harrelson is quite good in the title role, as are rock singer Love as his wife, and the dependable Norton as Flynt's overworked attorney Alan Isaacson (the sort of role Rob Morrow would have played a few years earlier). Not a pretty film, but a thought-provoking one, and Forman and Harrelson were both nominated for Oscars.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT is a movie directed by Milos Forman in 1996. The picture won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Fim Festival. Two nominations for the Academy Awards.
The film depicts the life of Larry Flynt, the founder of Hustler porn magazine, his numerous provocations against the american moral values, his personal evolution and finally his final victory in front of the Supreme court in the Reverend Falwell case. In the meantime, Larry will be shot and become paralyzed, suffer from drug-addiction and spend a lot of time in prisons and even in a mental hospital.
--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The People vs. Larry Flynt |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1960's-1970's
Polit/Social/Race/Gender activism
Yes
Plotlet:
- fighting for free speech/press
Inner struggle or disability
Yes
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- editor/publisher
Strong "rags to riches" component?
Yes
Druggie/Wino problems?
- drugs
Brain/Body not working?
- physical disability
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- editor/publisher
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- wild
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard curly
Body type
- (man) average
Unclothed?
- Chest and Buttocks
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- missing body parts/abilities
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Unclothed?
- full frontal
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- religious figure
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
Hair color
- white
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) fat
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- Midwest
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- Los Angeles
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- bar
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- all mixed up
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- seeing breasts
- seeing nude male butt
- seeing full frontal--women
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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