Review of The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) by Jon W — 21 Aug 2014

Milos Forman's "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" is a masterpiece, perfectly combining comedic and dramatic elements with an overall political statement that is vital to our understanding of the First Amendment and as a result a deeply humanistic meditation on morality in an environment wherein sexuality is considered to be worse than violence. Larry Flynt himself is absolutely no saint which makes his argument somehow even more relevant. We may not like each other because we may or may not all be good people, but we all deserve the same rights. That is one of the deepest levels of understanding for the story, but the story itself is so ferociously entertaining that it doesn't feel like any amount of work. Statements and conversations made by Flynt are the heart of the film such as the following to a reluctant photographer:

"Are you a God-fearing man?".

"Yes.".

"You believe God made man?".

"Yeah.".

"Then you believe God made wo-man, right?".

"...yeah.".

"Then the same God must have made her vagina, and who are you to defy God?".

The film is about the rise of a pornographic magazine, Hustler, which comes to existence for the reason that Playboy, as Larry Flynt describes, is mocking poor people. His magazine contains material to help men jerk off as well as having content in terms of parody ads and comedic pictures that are graphic. He is selectively prosecuted on charges of pornography and bullshit like organized crime connections. Larry as played by Woody Harrelson is a genius character full of stubbornness, childishness, and perhaps too much power. That he uses it to spend time arguing that free speech is not limited to certain tastes is vital. He seems to morally digress as he doesn't have to worry much about work as Hustler magazine seems to run itself during his many absences/arrests/incarcerations. The supporting cast to Larry of Courtney Love as Larry's wife, Althea, and Edward Norton as Alan Isaacman, his lawyer, are more than just perfect in their roles. I cannot actually imagine other actors taking the roles and doing as well. Althea is a fascinating character played by Courtney Love perfectly. Norton plays the uptight First Amendment lawyer Isaacman as a great counter to the large personalities in Larry and Althea, not to mention Larry's behavior in court.

Milos Forman has directed movies with main characters who seem to be something of rock stars. In "Hair," the characters were mostly hippies in a musical that was about in many ways the Vietnam war and how it destroyed a people. In "Amadeus," Mozart fights various powers such as when he's told that one of his pieces has "too many notes." "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" had a rebellious mental patient rallying up his people to fight. Flynt isn't much different than a Mozart, McMurphy, Berger, or Andy Kaufman. He's imperfect but also perfect in his situation as a character seemingly outside of his environment. Flynt and Mozart in his films strike me as characters who perhaps had the handicap of being born in the wrong time period. Their thinking was so far beyond others in the same time that it was natural for them to be ostracized.

The comedic and the dramatic intertwine into a perfect web. Hustler goes from many different areas including a strange conversion into Christian porn. Larry also changes dramatically, a moonshine-selling kid "just tryin' to make an honest buck" to the owner of the Hustler go-go clubs in Ohio. His idea to make a newsletter to better communicate sex to others eventually ends up as Hustler magazine. Larry himself changes dramatically with the story, eventually inhabiting an L.A. mansion only to stay inside of his bedroom and his panic room. Maids and guards inhabit much of the house with Flynt and Althea barricaded inside the one room. Flynt eventually releases a tape relating to John DeLorean and his trial. As Flynt says to his lawyer, "I'm your dream client. I'm the most fun, I'm rich, and I'm always in trouble.".

The movie moves about itself in a strange way much as Flynt's life went from extreme to extreme. Going from the backwoods in Ohio to a run-down strip club, a mansion, Los Angeles, various courtrooms, a mental facility, Ruth Carter Stapleton's home (and church), various Flynt Publication buildings, all unique, and many other locations. That the movie goes from event to event with ease while remaining on topic is truly magnificent.

Eventually, this comes down to a single trial in which Reverend Jerry Falwell sues Larry for an obscene ad which offended Falwell for $40 million. It was a parody liquor ad where Falwell says his first time was with his mother in an outhouse. It eventually ends up in the Supreme Court with a ruling that while criticized heavily at the time was the right choice. The movie hits every nuance perfectly, and the facts behind this struggle make this story a truly remarkable one. This is one of the best films ever made.