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The People vs. Larry Flynt
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Wikipedia article
'The People vs. Larry Flynt' is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Milo Forman, chronicling the rise of pornographer Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with religious institutions and the law. It stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love as his wife Althea, and Edward Norton as his attorney Alan Isaacman. The screenplay, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, spans about 35 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'.
Although it was not a financial success, 'The People vs. Larry Flynt' was acclaimed by critics and garnered Harrelson, Love, Norton and Forman multiple accolades and award nominations, including Best Actor for Harrelson and Best Director for Forman at the 69th Academy Awards. Forman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director.
Plot
In 1952, 10-year-old Larry Flynt is selling moonshine in Kentucky. Twenty years later, Flynt and his younger brother, Jimmy, run the Hustler Go-Go club in Cincinnati. With profits down, Flynt decides to publish a newsletter for the club, the first 'Hustler' magazine, with nude pictures of women working at the club. The newsletter soon becomes a full-fledged magazine, but sales are weak. After 'Hustler' publishes nude pictures of former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis in 1972, sales take off.
Flynt becomes smitten with Althea Leasure, a stripper who works at one of his clubs. With Althea and Jimmy's help, Flynt makes a fortune from sales of 'Hustler'. With his success comes enemies as he finds himself a hated figure of anti-pornography activists. He argues with the activists, saying 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, sex is legal, but if you take a picture of that act, you can go to jail." He becomes involved in several prominent court cases, and befriends a young lawyer, Alan Isaacman. In 1975, Flynt loses a smut-peddling court decision in Cincinnati, but the decision is overturned on appeal; he is released from jail soon afterwards. Ruth Carter Stapleton, 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.
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 depression and drug use. During this time, Althea also becomes addicted to painkillers and morphine.
In 1983, Flynt undergoes surgery to deaden several nerves in his back damaged by the bullet wounds, and as a result, feels rejuvenated. He returns to an active role with the publication, which, in his absence, had been run by Althea and Jimmy. Flynt is soon in court again for leaking videos relating to the John DeLorean entrapment case, and during his courtroom antics, he fires Isaacman, then throws an orange at the judge. He later wears an American flag as an adult diaper along with an Army helmet, and wears T-shirts with provocative messages such as "I Wish I Was Black" and "Fuck This Court." After spitting water at the judge Flynt is sent to a psychiatric ward, where he sinks into depression again. Flynt publishes a satirical parody ad in which Jerry Falwell tells of a sexual encounter with his mother. Falwell sues for libel and emotional distress. Flynt countersues for copyright infringement, because Falwell copied his ad and used it to raise funds for his legal bills. The case goes to trial in December 1984, but the decision is mixed, 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.
Flynt presses Isaacman to appeal the Falwell decision to the Supreme Court of the United States. Isaacman refuses, saying Flynt's courtroom antics humiliated 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 the case 'Hustler Magazine v. Falwell' in 1988. With Flynt sitting silently in the courtroom, the court overturns the original verdict in a unanimous decision. After the trial, Flynt is alone in his bedroom watching old videotapes of a healthy Althea.
Cast
* Woody Harrelson as Larry Flynt
** Cody Block as young Larry
* Courtney Love as Althea Leasure
* Edward Norton as Alan Isaacman
* Brett Harrelson as Jimmy Flynt
** Ryan Post as young Jimmy
* Donna Hanover as Ruth Carter Stapleton
* James Cromwell as Charles Keating
* Crispin Glover as Arlo
* Vincent Schiavelli as Chester
* Miles Chapin as Miles
* James Carville as Simon Leis
* Richard Paul as Jerry Falwell
* Burt Neuborne as Roy Grutman
* Jan Tska as Joseph Paul Franklin
* Nancy Lea Owen as Edith Flynt
** Kacky Walton as young Edith
* John Fergus Ryan as Larry Flynt Sr.
** John Ryan as young Larry Sr.
* Ruby Wilson as Singer at Rally
* Norm Macdonald as Network Reporter
* Aurlia Thierre as Receptionist
* D'Army Bailey as Judge Mantke
* Larry Flynt as Judge Morrissey
Casting notes
Both Bill Murray and Tom Hanks were considered for the role of Flynt. Flynt's brother, Jimmy, is played by Brett Harrelson, the real-life brother of Woody Harrelson.Reception
Based on 56 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating of 88%, with an average score of 7.70/10. The site's consensus states, "'The People vs. Larry Flynt' pays entertaining tribute to an irascible iconoclast with a well-constructed biopic that openly acknowledges his troublesome flaws." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Box office
The film opened on December 25, 1996, in a limited release, in 16 theatres, where it was a hit, before expanding to wide release, 1,233 theatres, on January 10, 1997. The film eventually grossed $20,300,385 in the United States and Canada. Internationally it did better grossing $23 million, for a worldwide total of $43 million against a $35 million budget.Accolades
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="2"| 20/20 Awards
| Best Director
| Milo Forman
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Woody Harrelson
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Academy Awards
| Best Director
| Milo Forman
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Woody Harrelson
|
|-
| Artios Awards
| Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film Casting Drama
| Francine Maisler and Jo Doster
|
|-
| rowspan="5"| Awards Circuit Community Awards
| Best Director
| Milo Forman
|
|-
| Best Actor in a Leading Role
| Woody Harrelson
|
|-
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| Best Original Screenplay
| rowspan="3"| Milo Forman
|
|-
| Honorable Mentions (The Next Ten Best Picture Contenders)
|
|-
| Berlin International Film Festival
| Golden Bear
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| Edward Norton
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| rowspan="6"| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| Best Director
| Milo Forman
|
|-
| Best Actress
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| Best Screenplay
| Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
|
|-
| Most Promising Actor
| Edward Norton
|
|-
| Most Promising Actress
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Critics' Choice Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| Edward Norton
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| Czech Lion Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Foreign Film
|
|-
| European Film Awards
| Achievement in World Cinema Award
| Milo Forman
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| Edward Norton
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| rowspan="5"| Golden Globe Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture Drama
|
|-
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
| Woody Harrelson
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| Best Director Motion Picture
| Milo Forman
|
|-
| Best Screenplay Motion Picture
| Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
|
|-
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| Edward Norton
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| rowspan="2"| Courtney Love
|
|-
| MTV Movie Awards
| Best Breakthrough Performance
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| National Board of Review Awards
| colspan="2"| Top Ten Films
|
|-
| Freedom of Expression
| Milo Forman and Oliver Stone
|
|-
| National Society of Film Critics Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| Edward Norton
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| New York Film Critics Circle Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| rowspan="8"| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| Best Picture
| rowspan="2"| Oliver Stone, Janet Yang and Michael Hausman
|
|-
| Best Drama Picture
|
|-
| Best Director
| Milo Forman
|
|-
| Best Actor
| rowspan="2"| Woody Harrelson
|
|-
| Best Drama Actor
|
|-
| Best Drama Actress
| rowspan="2"| Courtney Love
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
| Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Political Film Society Awards
| colspan="2"| Expos
|
|-
| colspan="2"| Human Rights
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Satellite Awards
| Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
| Courtney Love
|
|-
| Best Screenplay Original
| Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
|
|-
| Screen Actors Guild Awards
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
| rowspan="2"| Woody Harrelson
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Society of Texas Film Critics Awards
| Best Actor
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| rowspan="2"| Edward Norton
|
|-
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
|
|-
| Writers Guild of America Awards
| Paul Selvin Honorary Award
| Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
|
|}
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
* 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10:
** Courtroom Drama Film Nominated
Notes
References
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