The People vs. Larry Flynt [Blu-ray]

This is an all-time favorite movie of mine. It's an hilarious story about the First Amendment told from the angle of a porn hustler who founded Hustler magazine and was targeted by all kinds of censorship and religious groups but ultimately revealed a truth that we, as Americans, must understand. We have the right to parodize public figures, and even an outspoken minister qualifies as a public figure. That Jerry Falwell was, in my opinion, a child, helped to match the fact that Larry Flynt had been attacked so much that he had gone from running a strip club where business was going down, down, down not due to Flynt's management but due to lack of revenues to calling Jerry Falwell "Jerry Fart-well" on the stand under oath. I honestly can't imagine an actor other than Woody Harrelson who could have pulled off this character. I have no idea how close he is to the real one, but this is a vibrant, rambunctious and bull-headed rock star who caused problems because he got rich, and porn pissed off a lot of people who took strong "moral" stances.It's funny, those people. In the time they worked to get the magazine banned and Larry Flynt basically hanged and castrated for going a bit further than Playboy and other magazines, they could have had fundraisers to, I don't know, build houses for the poor or help set up rehabilitation facilities? But it's really not about 'decency' when you boil everything away. It's about the fact that we as humans and Americans have to accept that other people have opinions that may not be ours. We may think they're offensive, and those personally attacked certainly have a right to feel offended, but that's where it ends. Suing the people who made it just exposes the nerve. The best thing to do is ignore it and try to do what's right regardless. At least, that's what I would imagine a group of true Christians to do. Spread love and that stuff.Speaking of which, Larry has a weird foray into religious porn. Yeah, you read that correctly. He gets converted which lasts until he has another major setback. This is much to the relief of Courtney Love's character. She's another who doesn't need to give another acting performance after her work in this movie. She was the only choice for her role. She and Edward Norton, Flynt's lawyer, do fantastic supporting work, but the antagonists are particularly memorable. James Cromwell sneers and describes, over a fundraising dinner and passing out copies of Hustler, the images it contains ("woman and woman engaged in sexual congress"). He's more in the background, but his character is an interesting one notwithstanding. The actor who played Jerry Falwell was another work of perfect casting. He looks just like Falwell and conveys a childlike, "but I'm a good boy!" mentality throughout. His attorney has to be commended for adding to the comedy perfectly. During the same exchange as the aforementioned "Fart-well," he and Larry get into an argument in French. His French is real, but Larry's very much so isn't and is basic at the absolute highest level. The camera then goes to the court reporter who doesn't have an idea what the hell she should be typing. This is great stuff.I can't recommend this movie highly enough. It's very thoughtful, engaging and has some of the best movie characters I've met who will stay with me.

The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman and starring Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, and Edward Norton. It chronicles the rise of pornographic magazine publisher Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with religious institutions and the law.Perhaps it would be fair to start by saying that the narrative element of this film is handled subjectively well. The events covered span over the course of about 40 years, and 2 hours may not seem long enough to make this a cohesive piece; On the contrary, the nuances and important elements of Larry's life are given a sufficient amount of attention, and the story is told in such a way that it is very easy to follow. The only pitfall to this is that some of the relationships seem a little contrived and perhaps maybe even a little bit “fake” but this is acceptable given the circumstances and obvious ambitions possessed by the director and screenwriters.This movie received accolades for the separate performances Of Harrelson, Norton and Love; more than deserved, each actor holds their own and the success of this film dord not rest on the shoulders of one individual that outshines the rest. Harrelson is gritty, obscene, and unapologetically authentic. Norton is humble, resourceful, and as sharp as a tack. Love is convincingly loyal, understandably naive, and perhaps the tiniest bit misguided. The combination of these separate character traits in acute amounts allows the story to be told in a way that is natural and doesn't turn into a gigantic cringe-fest.Perhaps the best thing about this film is that it's the perfect example of inorganically telling a story Involving politics in a way that is both entertaining and largely accurate. There are no attempts to tone down the sleaziness people can expect given the subject matter, but the main topic at hand - freedom of speech - is given an equivocal amount of respect and consideration that can't be ignored. Debates and public outcry regarding what material is considered “appropriate” are juxtaposed in such a way that the conclusion A)Makes total sense and B)Hardly calls for any amount of immediate opposition that isn't obviously emotionally charged. If you find yourself among the crowd of “nay-sayers” when pornography comes to mind I would absolutely encourage you to watch this film with an open mind as your inclinations in regards to censorship may need some adjusting afterwards - the message really is THAT powerful.Largely important especially given our current political climate:I would recommend it!

Who would think Larry Flynt the publisher of Hustler would be a 1st Amendment freedom fighter? That’s the basis of People Vs Larry Flynt which is based upon true events. It focuses upon Flynt’s constant trouble with the law over the 1st Amendment Freedom of the Press. He actually went all the way to the Supreme Court over a liable case. What’s crazy about the movie is that often times Hollywood embellishes such biographical stories to make them more entertaining. Many of the outrages things Flynt did in this movie like throw oranges at a judge actually happened. It’s a very interesting story.The movie stars Woody Harrelson as Flynt and Courtney Love as his with Althea. They are both wild and degenerate and in love. The two did great jobs with their roles being outlandish. Again, they had great material to work with because the writing was top notch and the Flynts did a lot of crazy things.The story itself focuses upon a number of court cases from an obscenity charge to a liable case. That leads into court room scenes where Flynt’s lawyer played by Edward Norton gets to argue for Freedom of the Press. The first case for instance, Norton says that the 1st Amendment allows the people to choose what they want to read and what not to. It’s not up to the government to regulate taste. This of course is not what you would expect to see in a film about a pornographer which makes it all the more interesting.C

as ever excellent movie and actors

Great and tragic tale.

Courtney love is fantastic in this one. Great story too...

great film

Arrived quick works great.