The People vs. Larry Flynt

REVIEW
This is a film full of surprises -- from the caliber of its acting to the persuasiveness of its message to the agility and energy of its storytelling. As unlikely a hero to the Constitution as any in modern America, Larry Flynt started as publisher of Hustler magazine. Tasteless and exploitative, the magazine brought him notoriety and many brushes with the law. As the film succinctly recalls, one of these brushes landed him in front of the Supreme Court in a historic case. Faced with the difficult task of relating the story of a man whose moral life is probably undeserving of one, director Forman and writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski never lionize Flynt; it's balanced writing and Flynt is no more than a sleazy publisher who happened to make a significant social contribution. But the beauty of the film is that the story is always appealing. As Flynt, Harrelson has never been more effective; and Love is absolutely riveting as his wife. Forman has crafted a cunning biography, timely political fable, and, most surprisingly, a crushing story of romantic loss.