The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) - Harrelson shines in Forman's pornographer biopic

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Co-star Woody Harrelson has his mouth covered by the American flag on this evocative poster for Milos Forman's The People vs. Larry Flynt

Larry Flynt from Kentucky just wants to make an 'honest buck', and when he invents Hustler magazine, he really gets a chance to do just that, - despite the fact that the pornographic publication also lands him in hot waters with the establishment.

 

The People vs. Larry Flynt is written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (1408 (2007, both)) and directed by Czech master filmmaker Milos Forman (Black Peter/Cerný Petr (1964)), whose 10th feature it was. It is based on the real-life Larry Flynt.

It is not among Forman's best films, but it is still a fascinating story with a tremendous Woody Harrelson (Venom (2018)) in the lead. Courtney Love's (Empire (2015, TV-series)) turn as his vampy, derelict wife is of more questionable quality, but perhaps this is also because her performance lies so closely to her real-life star persona.

The script makes more than one leap: Flynt gets 25 years prison-time at the beginning, but seems to be out in a jiffy? The lawyer (Edward Norton (The Italian Job (2003))) refuses to represent Flynt in the Supreme Court, - but then does just that in the next scene. 

Flynt was a spearhead for freedom of speech in the 20th century, - a wild and exciting man. Forman gets a good, - but not great, - film out of his life here.

 

Related posts:

Milos Forman: 2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

Goya's Ghosts (2006) - Forman's under-appreciated last major picture

Heartburn (1986) - Ephron's first-rate script attains greatness with Streep, Nicholson and Nichols (actor)  

Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Top 10: The best big hit movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Amadeus (1984) or, The Fool Genius and his Teacher

Hair (1979) - Reflect on 1960s youth counter-culture in Forman's infectious musical 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Forman's 1970s gold-rimmed classic 

The Firemen's Ball/Hoří, Má Panenko (1967) - Forman and Co. slice up communism to hilarious effect in outright masterpiece 

 

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 35-36 mil. $ (different accounts)

Box office: 43 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.21 times its cost)

[The People vs. Larry Flynt premiered 13 October (New York Film Festival) and runs 130 minutes. Shooting took place from February - April 1996 in Mississippi, Tennessee and in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #19 to a 523k $ first weekend in 16 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #7 and in 1,233 theaters, grossing 20.3 mil. $ (47.2 % of the total gross). It was nominated for 2 Oscars: It lost Best Actor (Harrelson) to Geoffrey Rush in Shine and Director to Anthony Minghella for The English Patient. It won 2/5 Golden Globe nominations, a European Film award and 2 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Forman returned with Man on the Moon (1999). Harrelson returned in Spin City (1996, TV-series)) and theatrically in Welcome to Sarajevo (1997); Love in Hole: Celebrity Skin (1998, music video) and Hole: Malibu (1998, music video) prior to her theatrical return in 200 Cigarettes (1999); and Norton in American History X (1998). The People vs. Larry Flynt is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The People vs. Larry Flynt? 

Ed Wood (1994) - Burton's sticky biopic with strenuous Depp

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This attractive poster for Tim Burton's Ed Wood lacks its priceless (but essentially ridiculing) American tagline: 'Movies were his passion. Women were his inspiration. Angora sweaters were his weakness.'

QUICK REVIEW:

Ed Wood (Glen or Glenda (1953)) was the world's arguably worst filmmaker, who wrote, directed, often also acted in, produced and edited some rather incredible films in the 1950s and 1960s, while befriending ailing horror movie icon Bela Lugosi (Dracula (1931)).

As a tribute to someone recognized as the worst filmmaker ever, (although he hardly was, in fact, because his films do have something infectious and human to them), I suppose it is really almost fitting that master filmmaker Tim Burton (Batman Returns (1992)) has made a sub-par biopic about him.
Ed Wood does have some good elements: Martin Landau (Edtv (1999)) is eminent as Lugosi, a deservedly Oscar-winning performance. SPOILER The fight with the plastic octopus and the baptism scene with Bill Murray (The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)) are also fun. 
But apart from these things, Ed Wood is a sticky, melodramatic, pathetic plate of dribble. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski's (The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), both) script, based on Rudolph Grey's Wood biography Nightmares of Ecstasy (1992), certainly carries its share of the blame. The biggest problem, though, must be Johnny Depp (The Rum Diary (2011)), who is awful in the title role, treading water throughout with an accent as irksome as the strange grimace he insists on carrying throughout. 
Most of the scenes of Ed Wood are simply too shallow and light-weight. Burton loves society's outsiders, and as such Wood should have been a prime source of material for him, but this one regrettably doesn't work.

Related poss:

Tim Burton: Dark Shadows (2012) - Fun, flamboyant vampire romp is a celebration of culture
Corpse Bride (2005) - Impressive, loud, hollow, dark doll fairytale 

1994 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Top 10: The best action movies and TV-series reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Batman Returns (1992) - Burton gives us the ultimate, Gothic spin on Gotham City and its sinister characters
Batman (1989) - A huge, glitzy, empty joker
Beetle Juice (1988) - Burton and team serve one of the best horror comedies ever  

Here's a teaser for the film, ripped from a VHS

Cost: 18 mil. $
Box office: 5.8 mil. $ (North America only)
= Uncertainty (likely at least a big flop)
[Ed Wood premiered September 23 (New York Film Festival) and runs 127 minutes. Alexander and Karaszewski devised the script after being tired of writing family movies, and Michael Lehmann was supposed to direct. Other obligations brought Burton to the project, who was a Wood fan. Columbia set the project in turnaround, because Burton insisted on shooting it in B/W. It was picked up by Disney, who gave Burton, who took no salary for the film, his budget and total creative freedom. The film was shot in 72 days in and around LA. Burton worked with Howard Shore on the score, after he had fallen out with his regular composer Danny Elfman during Batman Returns. Ed Wood contains several inaccuracies concerning Lugosi, Wood's relationship with Dolores Fuller and time distortions, (read about them here.) The film opened wide (in just 623 theaters) #9 to a 1.9 mil. $ first weekend in North America. 357k paid admission in France and Spain, but other than that, world numbers aren't known, and so its theatrical status cannot be made up, although it was almost certainly at least a big flop. Ed Wood was shown in competition at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, where it lost to Emir Kusturica's great Underground. Landau won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and the film also won the Best Makeup Oscar. At the Golden Globes, Depp and Landau were nominated, with Landau winning. Ed Wood is certified fresh at 92 % with an 8 average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ed Wood?