The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech.The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech.The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech.
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- Stars
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 22 wins & 35 nominations total
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Idealized biography of Hustler magazine mogul Larry Flynt (played superbly by Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson) which finally ends up focusing on his legal battles to publish his pornography via the free speech laws of this land. Along the way he marries a bisexual wild woman (Courtney Love) who shares his unconventional views on free love, priced pornography and drug abuse. The character also survives an assassin's bullet, paralysis, imprisonment, endless court battles against the Reverend Jerry Falwell and even his own destructive nature. Edward Norton (a relative newcomer when this was released) shines as Harrelson's young attorney who tries to overlook and overcome his client's tirades. Director Milos Forman (Oscar-nominated) does a good job creating a cinematic story about a man who is hard for most in mainstream society to understand or relate to. Flynt is humanized and so are those who cross his path throughout the picture. The movie is not as wild and crazed as one would think. Instead Forman uses well-timed comedy with drama to get the major points across effectively. Overall one of the better films of 1996. 4 stars out of 5.
it is unfortunate that when one thinks of the movie 'people vs. larry flynt' the first person to come to mind is courtney love. not that she does an less then stellar job, rather by focusing solely on her, the rest of the richly deserving cast are overlooked. woody harrelson is genius as larry flynt. despite my liberal leanings, before seeing this movie i had made peace with the fact the flynt was a scum, but i would support him on the basis of free speech. after seeing this movie i was able to gain insight into the parts of his character which make him whole person. instead of seeing what Christian-right zealots, or bleeding heart liberals, tried to force upon me, i saw the entire man and all he brought with him. granted this was shown primarily thru scenes written and directed by milos forman, however, it is harrelson who brings them to life and convinces me of their sincerity.
I went into this one fully expecting to like the heck out of it, and I wasn't disappointed. No one had to convince me the message was a valid one, but I still thought I'd drop a line to say that I thought it was a very well done movie. It shows how a right that is supposedly near and dear to us all is often skewed in favor of mollycoddling lots of hypocrites who has the ridiculous audacity to think they have the right and the obligation to tell the rest of the world what to think of as moral or immoral. I loved the scene where Woody Harrelson, who does an absolutely bang-up job, gives a speech about how explicit depictions of death, murder, and war are considered appropriate while sex is considered filthy. "Sex or war" indeed. The more of Harrelson I see, the more my respect for his work grows. I must also mention Courtney Love, who is terrific as Althea. Great movie, I thought. Most of the people who don't like it are probably also the very ones it portrays as being the "bad guys"-the religious right, of course. Larry Flynt may not be admirable in the type of lifestyle he and Althea lived, and his magazine is, to my mind, entirely repugnant. But if Larry and Althea truly had the sort of relationship portrayed they loved each other beyond all reason, and what he did makes him a great patriot. How many people would do what he did in defense of such an idealistic belief? Not all people who do great things for great reasons are great people.
"The People vs. Larry Flynt" is already 8 years old, and the subject it talks about is even older, but it still hasn't lost anything of it's relevance. This isn't a movie about Larry Flynt, the porn king. It's more a movie about the right to say what you want to say, without having to think of every person's opinion first.
You may not like the man or what he stands for, but at least he has the guts to stand up for what he believes in. He defends his right to speak freely and doesn't mind kicking against the shins of the ultra conservative Christians. In a way today's America needs more people like him instead of acting like a bunch of sheep being brought to the slaughterhouse by their government...
The acting in the movie is very good, but especially Woody Harrelson as Larry Flynt and Edward Norton as his lawyer were excellent. Courtney Love isn't really an actress, but still did a good job (not that hard to do when you play a role that you are quite familiar with in your own life.)
All in all this is a very enjoyable movie that will be loved by some and hated by many. Personally I liked it and I give it a 7.5/10
You may not like the man or what he stands for, but at least he has the guts to stand up for what he believes in. He defends his right to speak freely and doesn't mind kicking against the shins of the ultra conservative Christians. In a way today's America needs more people like him instead of acting like a bunch of sheep being brought to the slaughterhouse by their government...
The acting in the movie is very good, but especially Woody Harrelson as Larry Flynt and Edward Norton as his lawyer were excellent. Courtney Love isn't really an actress, but still did a good job (not that hard to do when you play a role that you are quite familiar with in your own life.)
All in all this is a very enjoyable movie that will be loved by some and hated by many. Personally I liked it and I give it a 7.5/10
Woody does here what he always does...he steals the show.
The story the movie tells is a good one and it does a great job of creating debate about free speech.
However this movie lives and dies on the performance of Woody.
One of the most underrated actors off all time :)
The story the movie tells is a good one and it does a great job of creating debate about free speech.
However this movie lives and dies on the performance of Woody.
One of the most underrated actors off all time :)
Did you know
- TriviaDespite being portrayed in an Oscar-nominated movie, Larry Flynt was refused an invitation to the 1997 Academy Awards, so Woody Harrelson brought Flynt to the award shows as his "plus one".
- GoofsIn the oral arguments before the Supreme Court, there are nine Justices. Those arguments took place on 2 December 1987, when there were only 8 Justices on the Supreme Court bench: Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. had retired on June 26, 1987 and his successor, Justice Anthony Kennedy, would be sworn in on 18 February, 1988. Kennedy took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.
- Quotes
Larry Flynt: Who is this magazine for, anyway? I mean, you know, it's like if you don't make twenty thousand plus a year - you don't jerk off. Seven million people buyin' it, and nobody's readin' it. Gentlemen, "Playboy" is mocking you.
- Alternate versionsThe film was cut by 18 minutes to remove sex references, pornographic images, drugs, and language for television to grant a 'U' (unrestricted) certificate by the CBFC in Chennai in 2007. The uncut version is rated 'A' (adults) in Mumbai for video release in 2009.
- SoundtracksHello Walls
Written by Willie Nelson
Performed by Faron Young
Courtesy of Capitol Nashville
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El eslabón perdido
- Filming locations
- Flynt Publications Building - 8484 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California, USA(Flynt Publications building/Jimmy's office)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $36,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $20,300,385
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $523,295
- Dec 29, 1996
- Gross worldwide
- $20,300,385
- Runtime2 hours 10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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