The People vs. Larry Flynt

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. 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 club in Cincinnati. With profits down, Flynt decides to publish a newsletter for the club, the first Hustler magazine, with nude pictures of women working at the club. The newsletter soon becomes a full-fledged magazine, but sales are weak. After Hustler publishes nude pictures of former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis in 1972, sales take off.
Flynt becomes smitten with Althea Leasure, a stripper who works at one of his clubs. With Althea and Jimmy's help, Flynt makes a fortune from sales of Hustler. With his success comes enemies – as he finds himself a hated figure of anti-pornography activists. He argues with the activists, saying 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 a young lawyer, Alan Isaacman. In 1975, Flynt loses a smut-peddling court decision in Cincinnati, 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. Flynt seems moved and starts letting his newfound religion influence everything in his life, including Hustler content. Althea detests the idea as she was molested by nuns during her years in Catholic School.
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. Wishing he was dead, Flynt renounces his faith. Because of the emotional and physical pain, he moves to Beverly Hills and spirals down into depression and drug use. During this time, Althea also becomes addicted to painkillers and morphine.
In 1983, Flynt undergoes surgery to deaden several nerves in his back damaged by the bullet wounds, and as a result, feels rejuvenated. He returns to an active role with the publication, which, in his absence, had been run by Althea and Jimmy. 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 sent 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. By that time, Althea has contracted HIV, which proceeds to AIDS. Some time later in 1987, Flynt finds her dead in the bathtub, having drowned.
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 agrees and argues the "emotional distress" decision 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 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. 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.
==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. The film eventually grossed $20,300,385 in the United States and Canada. Internationally it did better grossing $23 million, for a worldwide total of $43 million against a $35 million budget.
===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." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
===Accolades===
Award 	Category 	Nominee(s) 	Result
20/20 Awards 	Best Director 	Miloš Forman 	
20/20 Awards 	Best Actor 	Woody Harrelson 	
Academy Awards 	Best Director 	Miloš Forman 	
Academy Awards 	Best Actor 	Woody Harrelson 	
Artios Awards 	Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film Casting – Drama 	Francine Maisler and Jo Doster 	
Awards Circuit Community Awards 	Best Director 	Miloš Forman 	
Awards Circuit Community Awards 	Best Actor in a Leading Role 	Woody Harrelson 	
Awards Circuit Community Awards 	Best Actress in a Supporting Role 	Courtney Love 	
Awards Circuit Community Awards 	Best Original Screenplay 	Miloš Forman 	
Awards Circuit Community Awards 	Honorable Mentions (The Next Ten Best Picture Contenders)	Miloš Forman 	
Berlin International Film Festival 	Golden Bear 	Miloš Forman 	
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Edward Norton 	
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 	Best Supporting Actress 	Courtney Love 	
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	Best Film 	Best Film 	
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	Best Director 	Miloš Forman 	
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	Best Actress 	Courtney Love 	
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	Best Screenplay 	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski 	
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	Most Promising Actor 	Edward Norton 	
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	Most Promising Actress 	Courtney Love 	
Critics' Choice Awards 	Best Picture 	Best Picture 	
Critics' Choice Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Edward Norton 	
Critics' Choice Awards 	Best Supporting Actress 	Courtney Love 	
Czech Lion Awards 	Best Foreign Film 	Best Foreign Film 	
European Film Awards 	Achievement in World Cinema Award 	Miloš Forman 	
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Edward Norton 	
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards 	Best Supporting Actress 	Courtney Love 	
Golden Globe Awards 	Best Motion Picture – Drama 	Best Motion Picture – Drama 	
Golden Globe Awards 	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama 	Woody Harrelson 	
Golden Globe Awards 	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 	Courtney Love 	
Golden Globe Awards 	Best Director – Motion Picture 	Miloš Forman 	
Golden Globe Awards 	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture 	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski 	
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards 	Best Film 	Best Film 	
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Edward Norton 	
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 	Best Supporting Actress 	Courtney Love 	
MTV Movie Awards 	Best Breakthrough Performance 	Courtney Love 	
National Board of Review Awards 	Top Ten Films 	Top Ten Films 	
National Board of Review Awards 	Freedom of Expression 	Miloš Forman and Oliver Stone 	
National Society of Film Critics Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Edward Norton 	
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 	Best Film 	Best Film 	
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 	Best Supporting Actress 	Courtney Love 	
Online Film & Television Association Awards 	Best Picture 	Oliver Stone, Janet Yang and Michael Hausman	
Online Film & Television Association Awards 	Best Drama Picture 	Oliver Stone, Janet Yang and Michael Hausman	
Online Film & Television Association Awards 	Best Director 	Miloš Forman 	
Online Film & Television Association Awards 	Best Actor 	Woody Harrelson 	
Online Film & Television Association Awards 	Best Drama Actor 	Woody Harrelson 	
Online Film & Television Association Awards 	Best Drama Actress 	Courtney Love 	
Online Film & Television Association Awards 	Best Supporting Actress 	Courtney Love 	
Online Film & Television Association Awards 	Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen 	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski 	
Political Film Society Awards 	Exposé 	Exposé 	
Political Film Society Awards 	Human Rights 	Human Rights 	
Satellite Awards 	Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama 	Courtney Love 	
Satellite Awards 	Best Screenplay – Original 	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski 	
Screen Actors Guild Awards 	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Woody Harrelson 	
Society of Texas Film Critics Awards 	Best Actor 	Woody Harrelson 	
Society of Texas Film Critics Awards 	Best Supporting Actor 	Edward Norton 	
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor 	Edward Norton 	
Writers Guild of America Awards 	Paul Selvin Honorary Award 	Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski 	
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
* 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10:
** Courtroom Drama Film – Nominated
==See also==
* Supreme Court of the United States in fiction
==Notes==
==References==
==External links==
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Category:1996 films
Category:Films with atheism-related themes
Category:1990s biographical drama films
Category:1990s legal drama films
Category:1996 LGBT-related films
Category:American biographical drama films
Category:American legal films
Category:American LGBT-related films
Category:1990s English-language films
Category:Columbia Pictures films
Category:American courtroom films
Category:Films scored by Thomas Newman
Category:Films about adult magazine publishers (people)
Category:Films about freedom of expression
Category:Films about people with paraplegia or tetraplegia
Category:Films directed by Miloš Forman
Category:Films set in California
Category:Films set in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Films set in Kentucky
Category:Films set in Cincinnati
Category:Films set in 1952
Category:Films set in 1973
Category:Films set in 1975
Category:Films set in 1978
Category:Films set in 1986
Category:Films set in 1987
Category:Films set in the 1950s
Category:Films set in the 1970s
Category:Films set in the 1980s
Category:Films shot in Los Angeles
Category:Films shot in Mississippi
Category:Films shot in Tennessee
Category:Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe
Category:Golden Bear winners
Category:Films about incest
Category:Lesbian-related films
Category:Films with screenplays by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
Category:Cultural depictions of American people
Category:Cultural depictions of publishers
Category:Cultural depictions of activists
Category:1996 drama films
Category:Phoenix Pictures films
Category:1990s American films
Category:English-language biographical drama films