The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) Columbia/Drama RT: 129 minutes Rated R (strong sexual material, nudity, language, drug abuse) Director: Milos Forman Screenplay: Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski Music: Thomas Newman Cinematography: Philippe Rousselot Release date: January 10, 1997 (US) Cast: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, Brett Harrelson, Donna Hanover, James Cromwell, Crispin Glover, Vincent Schiavelli, Miles Chapin, James Carville, Richard Paul, Norm Macdonald, Burt Neuborne, Jan Triska, Cody Block, Ryan Post. Box Office: $20.3M (US)/$43M (World)
Rating: ****
The late filmmaker Milos Forman had a fondness for eccentric misfits who challenged the Establishment and shook up the system. Look at the unlikely heroes at the center of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, Man on the Moon and The People vs. Larry Flynt. His outstanding 1996 drama is, at once, a compelling rags-to-riches story and riveting courtroom drama. More than that, it makes a bold statement about the fundamental right of free speech as it applies to unpopular speech. If the First Amendment doesn’t apply to everybody equally, even a self-described “scumbag” like Larry Flynt, it’s meaningless.
Woody Harrelson, in the best performance of his career, plays Larry Flynt, the founder and publisher of Hustler magazine who faced an onslaught of legal problems over the content of his publication. Hustler dumped the cultural trappings (interviews and articles) of Playboy in favor of pictures featuring hardcore sexual images and full frontal nudity. He called it art; others called it filth. It began life as a newsletter promoting the Cincinnati strip club he owned and operated with younger brother Jimmy (Woody’s real-life brother Brett). It featured nude pictures of the women who worked there. It soon became a full-fledged magazine that didn’t take off until Larry published pics of former First Lady Jackie O in the buff. Success, of course, comes with drawbacks. He soon became the target of anti-pornography activists led by Charles Keating (Cromwell, Babe) determined to shut down his magazine. It was just the start of a battle that eventually made its way to the Supreme Court.
The love of Larry’s life was Althea (Hole lead singer Love), a stripper at his club. Their meet-cute scenario is him firing her because she’s a few days shy of 18; after which, he invites her to move in with him as his girlfriend. She helps him get Hustler off the ground. She supports him through all his legal woes. Their union (they married in ’76) survives Larry’s temporary conversion to Christianity after he’s befriended by Ruth Carter Stapleton (journalist Hanover), the super-religious sister of President Jimmy Carter. Althea stays by his side after a sniper’s bullet leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. His debilitating injury leads both of them to a dark period marked by depression, drug addiction and isolation. Larry and Althea remained together until her untimely death from AIDS in ’87.
The crux of The People vs. Larry Flynt is the legal problems he faced due to the content of his magazine. After his first arrest for smut-peddling, Larry hires young idealistic lawyer Alan Isaacman (Norton, Primal Fear) to defend him. A staunch advocate for civil liberties, he vigorously defends his client who does nothing to help his own cause with his courtroom antics. At one point, Larry shows up wearing an American flag as a diaper. It’s meant to symbolize what the legal system is doing to the country. Larry’s legal problems worsen after he prints a satirical ad for Campari brand liquor alleging that televangelist Jerry Falwell (Paul, Carter Country) once had sex with his mother in an outhouse. The Moral Majority founder sues Flynt Publications for libel and emotional distress. Larry countersues for copyright infringement because Falwell copied and distributed his ad without permission. This is the case that’s ultimately argued before the Supreme Court.
Like I said earlier, Woody Harrelson delivers his finest performance ever as Larry Flynt, a man come to greatness after being born and raised in poverty. He has but one thing on his mind and isn’t shy about flaunting it for the entire world to see. He portrays Flynt as an outrageous showman, shrewd businessman, outspoken activist and rascal who refuses to compromise his artistic principles just because somebody is offended. He likes being the center of attention even though it often brings on bouts of wallowing in pain and misery, a by-product of his bipolar disorder. I dare say I admire Larry Flynt for taking a stand against those that would trample all over the Constitution in the name of decency. Woody gets what Flynt was about. He understands him through and through. He gives the type of performance awards were made for.
Love, in her first major role, shows she’s more than just a rock star trying to break into acting. She’s a full-fledged actress capable of getting inside her characters. She portrays Althea as a free-spirited type trying to put a painful childhood behind her. A tragedy involving the murder of family members at the hands of her father results in her being raised in a Catholic orphanage where she was sexually abused by nuns. As an adult, she’s bisexual and polygamous. When Larry proposes to her (in a hot tub), she initially refuses because she thinks he means monogamy. Love’s is one of the strongest debuts (so to speak) by a musician. She should have nominated for an Oscar.
Norton is also terrific as the idealistic lawyer who genuinely believes in a person’s First Amendment rights, even a purveyor of porn like his client. He’s simultaneously intrigued and frustrated by Larry, especially when he acts up in court which is pretty much always. The scene where he makes his case before the nine SC Justices is truly powerful.
Forman doesn’t just depict a controversial figure in The People vs. Larry Flynt; he also creates a tangible universe populated by hookers, strippers and various hangers-on. They make up the staff at Hustler, a magazine that appears to be published by committee. They’re also Larry and Althea’s family. Who better to play eccentric characters than eccentric actors like Crispin Glover (Back to the Future), Vincent Schiavelli (Ghost) and Miles Chapin (Get Crazy)? Forman also has an excellent sense of period setting with the clothes, hair and music. He especially makes great use of “Dream Weaver” by Gary Wright.
There are many reasons The People vs. Larry Flynt rates four stars. I listed most of them above. Forman does a masterful job telling Larry Flynt’s story, one marked by triumph and tragedy. It is an exemplary film on every level. It benefits largely from a flawless screenplay by premier biopic guys Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski whose credits include Ed Wood (phenomenal), Man on the Moon and Dolemite Is My Name. There’s little doubt whose side Forman takes. He makes a strong argument in favor of artistic freedom even if it means pissing off the Establishment. The People vs. Larry Flynt truly is an exceptional film.
This review is dedicated to Larry and Althea Flynt. May they rest in peace.
TRVIA TIDBIT: The real Larry Flynt cameos as the humorless judge hearing Flynt’s first smut-peddling case.
