note : some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers . 
be forewarned . 
milos forman's first film since the ill-fated valmont , columbia's the people vs . 
larry flynt , is a vastly entertaining ( if not particularly enlightening ) biopic of hustler publisher and self-made millionaire larry flynt , who became an unlikely champion of freedom of speech rights in the united states in the late 1970s and early 1980s . 
the film unweaves its tale in a chronological order : we open with young and dirt-poor larry flynt and his brother jimmy , peddling jars of water in true entrepreneurial spirit out in the rural outback of kentucky . 
cut to forward in time , where the two flynt brothers , now young men , are running the struggling hustler go-go clubs in cincinnati . 
the strip clubs are in a dire financial state , and in a last-ditch effort to salvage the operations , flynt decides to go to a print shop and churn out a promotional newsletter . 
this evolved into the adult periodical _hustler_ magazine , creating larry flynt a vast financial empire , and the rest is history . 
what sets flynt apart from other publishers is his struggles against those who would have him cease publication of his adult material , and who railed and preached against him - flynt spent time in incarceration and was paralyzed by an assassination attempt - and his driven , single-minded insistence to buck the system and fight for his freedom of expression , regardless of personal cost . 
the people vs . 
larry flynt also weaves in the bittersweet story of flynt's true love , althea leasure , whom he meets as a dancer in his club and later marries , and who devotedly stands alongside him throughout his trials and tribulations . 
considering the serious nature of the film's theme - the importance of the united states' first amendment - the people vs . 
larry flynt is surprisingly and wonderfully light-hearted and humourous . 
much of the comedy is elicited from larry flynt's outlandish stunts at his courtroom appearances - some of his chosen apparel is hilarious - and for the most part these elements of the film work far better than some of the more dramatic points , such as an uninspiring flynt monologue set at a free speech rally in front of an enormous american flag dealing with the subjectivity of obscenity . 
the film's focus is on the flynt's many battles over first amendment rights and freedom of speech , but the heart of the people vs . 
larry flynt is the touching love story between flynt and althea . 
larry flynt is shown as being occassionally gruff , harsh , and overtly aggressive with his friends and colleagues , but with althea , we see his loving , affectionate side . 
there's a scene where flynt tenderly takes his ill wife on a ride on his wheelchair that is heartbreaking . 
ultimately , the emotional power that the film hits at its conclusion comes not from his achievements from his battles against censors , but from the strength of flynt and althea's love for each other . 
woody harrelson is entirely engaging in what must be certainly a career-topping performance as the irrepressible larry flynt . 
harrelson plays flynt with the right mixture of outrageousness and confident stubborness to make him endearing and entirely sympathetic to the audience , and a very compelling protagonist for the film . 
courtney love plays althea leasure in a startling turn , completely raw and impulsive . 
it's a very solid performance , brash and naturalistic , and love is extremely compelling ; it's difficult to take your eyes off her onscreen , and her chemistry with harrelson is dead-on . 
edward norton , as flynt's straight , level-headed lawyer is often upstaged by his flashier co-stars in the people vs . 
larry flynt , much as his counterpart lawyer alan isaacman was upstaged by flynt during many of the courtroom scenes , but norton shines in his big scene where he addresses the supreme court in the climactic scene of the film . 
one can sense the frustration that norton's character feels when harrelson's free-talking flynt sabotages trial after trial on him by openly speaking his mind , and this results in a heightened emotional punch when norton's isaacman has the opportunity to sway the supreme court judges . 
milos forman keeps the film moving - although it runs over two hours , it never drags - and his direction of the film is very effective , eliciting a great deal of empathy for a subject which could be construed by some as extremely sordid and unsympathetic . 
there's also a great visual technique which forman uses to indicate the passing of time in one shot , which is both clever and extremely entertaining . 
two minor quibbles with the film - it certainly seems like the people vs . 
larry flynt is in a rush to get to its main theme , with flynt battling against authorities and the system for his freedom of speech . 
consequently , the first thirty minutes of the film , introducing and setting up the characters , seem unduly rushed ; perhaps it is merely due to the fact that these characters are so interesting , but i felt it would have worked better if this route was taken in a more leisurely fashion . 
it also felt like there was a distinctive lack of insight into the inner workings of these characters - the film clearly shows what flynt , althea , isaacman , and rev . jerry faldwell did , and on a superficial level some of their motivations , but it never seemed like one could really understand the characters on a deeper level . 
for example , why larry flynt was compelled by ruth carter stapleton ( president carter's sister ) to be born-again is a mystery to me . 
then again , perhaps it was to him as well . 
these two points don't detract greatly from the film . 
the people vs . 
larry flynt is certainly among the very best studio-released films of 1996 , and works both as a ringing political statement about the importance of freedom of speech and the depths to which larry flynt would go to advance the cause of free expression , and as a touching love story .