The People vs. Larry Flynt

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox film The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman, chronicling the rise of pornographer Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with religious institutions and the law.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.

Despite limited success at the box office, The People vs. Larry Flynt was acclaimed by critics and garnered Harrelson, Love, Norton, and Forman numerous accolades, including a Best Actor nomination for Harrelson and Best Director nomination 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, a struggling strip club in Cincinnati. In a bid to improve his business, Flynt decides to publish a newsletter for the club featuring nude photos of his strippers, which he names Hustler. The newsletter soon becomes a full-fledged magazine, but sales are weak. After Hustler publishes photos of former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis sunbathing nude in 1972, it becomes a national sensation, and Larry decides to focus on it full-time.

Flynt becomes smitten with Althea Leasure, who he allows to work as a stripper despite her being underage. With his success comes enemies – as he finds himself a hated figure of anti-pornography activists. He argues with the activists, declaring 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 his young and idealistic lawyer, Alan Isaacman.

In 1975, Flynt is convicted on pornography charges, 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; this results in Flynt attempting to turn his life around and even push for Hustler to become a more tasteful publication in line with his competitors. However, Althea, who blames molestation by nuns during her years in Catholic school for her problems in life, grows to resent him.

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. Broken by the experience, Flynt renounces his faith, turns over control of Hustler to Jimmy and Althea, and moves to Beverly Hills, where he quickly spirals into drug addiction to combat his depression and crippling pain. In 1983, Flynt undergoes surgery to deaden several nerves in his back damaged by the bullet wounds, and as a result, feels rejuvenated. He soon returns to an active role with the publication.

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 committed to a psychiatric ward, where he sinks into depression again. Flynt publishes a satirical parody ad in which Jerry Falwell tells of a drunken 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 liable for inflicting emotional distress but not libel and is forced to pay damages to Falwell.

Althea, now a morphine addict, visits Flynt and reveals her HIV diagnosis; disgusted to learn that the Hustler staff won't even shake her hand, Flynt arranges a company meeting via phone call and fires everyone. Althea comes to live with him, but later drowns in the bathtub after passing out. 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 finally agrees to represent him in front of the Supreme Court, in the case Hustler Magazine v. Falwell in December 1987. With Flynt sitting silently in the courtroom, the court overturns the original verdict in a unanimous decision. After the trial, Flynt is shown to be alone in his bedroom watching old videotapes of a happy, healthy Althea and himself before tragedy struck them both.

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 Tříska 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
• Aurélia Thierrée 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Flynt's brother, Jimmy, is played by Brett Harrelson, the real-life brother of Woody Harrelson. William J. Morrissey Jr., a Cincinnati court judge who sentenced Flynt in 1977, is played in the film by Larry Flynt himself.Template:Cn

Release

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film eventually grossed $20,300,385 in the United States and Canada.<ref name="BOM">Template:Mojo title</ref> Internationally it did better grossing $23 million, for a worldwide total of $43 million against a $35 million budget.<ref name=ww>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="LATimes" />

Critical reception

Based on 58 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating of 88%, with an average score of 7.6/10. 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."<ref name="rt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Feminist Gloria Steinem criticised the sanitized portrayal of Flynt, stating "What's left out [of the film] are the magazine's images of women being beaten, tortured, and raped; women subject to degradations from bestiality to sexual slavery."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Accolades

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
20/20 Awards	Best Director	Miloš Forman	Template:Nom
	Best Actor	Woody Harrelson	Template:Nom
Academy Awards<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Best Director	Miloš Forman	Template:Nom
	Best Actor	Woody Harrelson	Template:Nom
Artios Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film Casting – Drama	Francine Maisler and Jo Doster Template:Small	Template:Won
Awards Circuit Community Awards	Best Director	Miloš Forman	Template:Nom
	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Woody Harrelson	Template:Nom
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Courtney Love	Template:Nom
	Best Original Screenplay	Miloš Forman	Template:Nom
	Honorable Mentions (The Next Ten Best Picture Contenders)		Template:Nom
Berlin International Film Festival<ref name="Berlinale 1997">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		Golden Bear	Template:Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Supporting Actor	Edward Norton	Template:Won
	Best Supporting Actress	Courtney Love	Template:Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Film		Template:Nom
	Best Director	Miloš Forman	Template:Nom
	Best Actress	Courtney Love	Template:Nom
	Best Screenplay	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski	Template:Nom
	Most Promising Actor	Edward Norton	Template:Won
	Most Promising Actress	Courtney Love	Template:Won
Critics' Choice Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Picture		Template:Nom
	Best Supporting Actor	Edward Norton	Template:Nom
	Best Supporting Actress	Courtney Love	Template:Nom
Czech Lion Awards	Best Foreign Film		Template:Nom
European Film Awards	Achievement in World Cinema Award	Miloš Forman	Template:Won
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Supporting Actor	Edward Norton	Template:Won
	Best Supporting Actress	Courtney Love	Template:Won
Golden Globe Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Motion Picture – Drama		Template:Nom
	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama	Woody Harrelson	Template:Nom
	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama	Courtney Love	Template:Nom
	Best Director – Motion Picture	Miloš Forman	Template:Won
	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski	Template:Won
citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Film		Template:Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Supporting Actor	Edward Norton	Template:Won
	Best Supporting Actress	Courtney Love	Template:Runner-up
MTV Movie Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		Best Breakthrough Performance	Template:Nom
National Board of Review Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Top Ten Films		Template:Draw
	Freedom of Expression	Miloš Forman and Oliver Stone	Template:Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Supporting Actor	Edward Norton	Template:Draw
New York Film Critics Circle Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Film		Template:Runner-up
	Best Supporting Actress	Courtney Love	Template:Won
Online Film & Television Association Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Picture	Oliver Stone, Janet Yang and Michael Hausman	Template:Nom
	Best Drama Picture	Template:Nom
	Best Director	Miloš Forman	Template:Nom
	Best Actor	Woody Harrelson	Template:Nom
	Best Drama Actor		Template:Nom
	Best Drama Actress	Courtney Love	Template:Nom
	Best Supporting Actress		Template:Won
	Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski	Template:Nom
Political Film Society Awards	Exposé		Template:Nom
	Human Rights		Template:Nom
Satellite Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama	Courtney Love	Template:Won
	Best Screenplay – Original	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski	Template:WonTemplate:Efn
Screen Actors Guild Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Woody Harrelson	Template:Nom
Society of Texas Film Critics Awards<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Best Actor	Template:Nom
	Best Supporting Actor	Edward Norton	Template:Won
citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		Best Supporting Actor	Template:Won
Writers Guild of America Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Paul Selvin Honorary Award	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski	Template:Nom

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10:
  • Courtroom Drama Film – Nominated<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• Supreme Court of the United States in fiction

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0117318

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