The People vs. Larry Flynt

An exciting peek into the life of a particularly raunchy pornographer who was willing to go against the American Supreme Court for his constitutional right of free speech.

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The film covers the roller-coaster ride of Larry Flynt’s life over three decades and shows us how he grew his business from a few strip clubs to a publishing empire. He understood an opportunity when he saw it and made bold choices.

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Larry Flynt was a misogynistic troll who used shocking, degrading images of women in disgusting situations to sell magazines but he also was a free-speech champion who successfully pushed against moralistic religious pressure and censorship.

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This excellent film is a classic for its lore, cameos, and nods to cultural events. Here’s one small example: casting Courtney Love as Larry’s first wife Althea was a choice that surprised everyone (especially considering who else was up for the role). Courtney was literally high on drugs during her audition to play the part of a woman strung out on drugs. The insurance company refused to cover her but the three main actors and the director personally paid for her coverage. Further, the film’s legendary director, Miloš Forman, insisted that Courtney stay clean during the filming. She did and working with Miloš again on his next film, with the same stipulation, helped her get clean of drugs.

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This film gets four stars instead of 5 because it really goes a long way to painting Larry Flynt as a mostly good guy. He wasn’t. He simply knew how to take advantage of a constitutional right in order to make a lot of money humiliating women.

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