Nice new edition of the DVD I always liked this movie, but this edition with the new documentary and the commentaries from the director and some of the actors is a nice bonus. It was definitely worth paying the extra few dollars in order to hear that, especially Woody and Milos each talking about the making of the movie.
A non conformist for the ages This is an awesome movie. Funny a lot of the time yet gripping to see all the things Larry Flint went through . I was purley fascinated. I am now reading his autobigography, which is also good.
Makes Boogie Nights Boring Great movie. I laughed, and cried, and laughed again at this incredibly wild film. Boogie Nights can't hold a candle to this one. Look for a guest appearance by THE Larry Flynt.
Very well done, Woody was terrific and should have been nominated for an Academy Award. Courtney was also terrific and also should have been nominated. They both played off each other well and pulled off a piece of history regarding "free" speech. which we know there really isn't any "free" speech in this country. Enjoy!
"I turned the whole world into a tabloid." I didn't know too much about the man that was Larry Flynt before the other night. I new he was the man behind 'Hustler' but that was about it. Watching this surprisingly tastfully done biopic on the man opened my eyes to what he stood for. Pulling himself out of nothing, Larry Flynt (Woody Harrelson) stood up for the rights of every American when he fought for the publication of his magazine. Starting out the owner of an exotic dance club but looking for more he started a newsletter advertising his 'girls', but after his little side project took off running it was apparent where his big break was going to fall. The film follows Flynt throughout his life, from his marriage to dancer Althea (Courtney Love) who is just as excited about his magazine as he is, to his arrest's and constant battles with the court over the right to publish 'smut' as they called it.
His legal battles are really where the meat of this film lies for is really shows the hypocrisy of the legal system. They were forcing opinions on citizens instead of inforcing law. There was no law against the publication of porn, but it went against what many people belived to be good morals. As Flynt so noted, he was guilty of nothing but bad taste.
As the film progresses we see the aftermath of a shooting gone wrong, a man obviously upset over the magazine shot Larry outside of the courthouse paralizing him from the waist down. This has to of course be a terrible blow to a man obsessed with sex. Just before the shooting Larry was starting to turn over a new leaf after being converted the Christianity. He was trying to turn his magazine around (even though he ended up making it worse) but after the shooting he swore off god altogether and became athiest. Through the course of the next three years he and his wife became addicted to pain killers and his wife ended up suffering the fatal price when she was diagnosed with AIDS. The film shows beautifully, as well as heartbreakingly, Larry's devotion to his ailing wife and there illicit love affair that was in all sense of the word genuine.
The film helps show the triumph of the everyman as he battles for the freedoms we all enjoy and is relentless in doing so. He's not doing this for the money or the fame but to prove that we all want the same thing. It doesn't matter whether we agree with what this man did or what he promoted, for theres not one of us who doesn't enjoy the freedom we have in this country, and all Larry Flynt wanted was the right to enjoy that freedom as well. What this film proved, and better yet what Larry's life proved, is that once you start taking away the freedoms of one person based on our own viewpoints we start to limit ourselves and everyone around us. If we started punishing those who didn't think like us the world would be a much colder place.
Now what needs to be mentioned, and what makes a film like this so great, is the brilliant acting on the part of the entire cast, from Harrelson's brilliant take on Larry Flynt to Edward Norton's turn as his cautious lawyer. I wholeheartedly agree that Woody should have won the Oscar for this, for there is no one else that could have pulled this off the way he did. Courtney Love is another cast memeber who deserves heeps of praise for her scene stealing performance as Larry's bisexual, drug addict wife. Her performance blew me away with her commiment and dedication to her role. She was the def. of commanding and stole every scene out from under Woody's feet. I believe Courtney to be a huge star, and if she would only harness that drive she showed in this film then she could be much further then she is now. As a whole, in everyway, this is a great film that is about so much more than 'porn' but about growth and the fight for the American dream!
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
