MovieFreak.com - The People vs. Larry Flynt Special Edition DVD Review

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton
Director: Milos Forman

The People Vs. Larry Flynt is an account of the life, career and struggles of Larry Flynt, publisher of the (in)famous Hustler magazine. The film chronicles Flynt’s life from his poor childhood to his rich-and-famous empire in his sixties.

Directed by Milos Forman, the two-time Academy Award winner for Best Director (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus), The People Vs. Larry Flynt is a competent drama about a controversial man (Flynt) and subject (sex). The film not only recounts the life of the man, but also addresses the issues he raised. In his words, "What is more obscene: Sex or war?" Some call the film a "message movie," others a glamorization sex and Larry Flynt. For whatever it’s worth, I believe The People Vs. Larry Flynt offers an interesting look at the right of freedom of speech, among other things.

The controversy surrounding Hustler magazine was its depiction of female genitalia and sexual interaction, a huge taboo (not even Playboy went as far) and an offensive display to the public (the children, of course). Flynt argued, "If you don't like Hustler magazine, don't read it." Still, Flynt was sued by the Religious Right and even paralyzed from a horrific incident after a trial. When does freedom stop and why is sex such a taboo? Flynt said it right. Milos Forman directs his attention to those questions and offers arguments for and against, but leaves it up to the viewer to make distinctions and form opinions.

The script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski is structured very well, but takes into account the combining of several courtroom events and people. The pace doesn’t flow as smooth as it should, but since the performances gather all the attention the pace is not a big concern. Woody Harrelson portrays Flynt in a very convincing way. He’s got the mannerisms, speech, and attitude of the real man. His performance is not the only thing that makes the film as good as it is. Courtney Love plays Althea Leasure, Larry’s wife. Love brings spontaneity, realism and appeal to her role. Edward Norton turns in a pretty good performance as Alan Isaccman, Larry’s attorney. Brett Harrelson, Donna Hanover, James Cromwell, Crispin Glover, and Vincent Shiavelli co-star.

Columbia Tristar presents The People Vs. Larry Flynt in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is slightly above average due to the following reasons. Edge enhancement shows up in more than just a few scenes. The color palette is not very distinctive overall, but a few scenes offer some nice color variations. Color detail is pretty good, but sharpness tends to run low. I also noticed a few moments when scratches appeared on the print. The transfer is obviously not mastered to any great degree, so what is presented is just kind a little above average.

The People Vs. Larry Flynt is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1, but actual surround usage is not the case here. The audio presentation is also just above average as the rear speakers hardly come to life. The front speakers emit all the sound, but even so there is not enough “noise” for a 5.1 track. Thomas Newman’s score is very good, but I had a hard time identifying its significance in this presentation because it wasn’t accentuated well enough. The People Vs. Larry Flynt is also available in Dolby Digital 5.1 for the Spanish and French linguist or natives.

Cast Commentary Featuring Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love and Edward Norton – This commentary is edited together from three separate sessions recorded at different times. Harrelson and Love get most of the time on this track. Harrelson is very relaxed and loose, making a joke here and there. His comments reflect the production and offer insight into the background. Courtney Love’s comments are more sporadic. She admits to gossiping, which she likes to do, and at one point referring to Norton in an amusing way. Norton’s comments are usually very short and he doesn’t get enough time, which makes me wonder about the circumstances of his recording.

Writer’s Commentary by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski – These guys have much to talk about. From their comments it appears they were very involved in the production and process of making the film. This track is very fast-paced and filled with interesting information, but some of their laughter put me off a little. How would it have looked if Bill Murray played Larry Flynt? It was considered, but Harrelson obviously got the part. This commentary is enjoyable and very relevant.

Free Speech or Porn? – This exclusive, all-new documentary (30 mins) includes new interviews with the cast and crew. To name some of the people interviewed, apart from the participants of the two audio commentaries, are Larry Flynt, Milos Forman, Producers Janet Yang, Oliver Stone and Michael Hausman. Free Speech or Porn is very in-depth as it tells of the struggle to get insurance for Courtney Love, the troubled theatrical run and other background information. We also get to see Edward Norton and Courtney Love’s audition tapes, which is very cool. This is a worthy special feature and comes highly recommended.

Larry Flynt Exposed – Dennis Hopper narrates this exclusive featurette (28 mins) featuring interviews with Larry Flynt, Alan Isaccman, Jerry Falwell, and other public figures. It is better suited to call this a documentary for its in-depth account and retelling of Flynt’s career and life. Exposed is very well written and produced, but tends to repeat information the film addressed as well. Nevertheless, this documentary comes highly recommended.

Deleted Scenes With Optional Filmmaker's Commentary – There are only two deleted scenes, one of which includes Larry Flynt’s “running for president” campaign. The filmmaker’s commentary labeling is kind of misleading, because Milos Forman didn’t participate. Instead Woody Harrelson and one of the two screenwriters comment on the two scenes, respectively.

You get the film’s theatrical trailer in addition to the outdated teaser trailer for Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Also available are filmographies of the actors and selected crew.

Columbia offers more than a few subtitles, including the languages English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Thai. The menus are animated with the American flag waving in an out of frame. The 129-minute feature is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

The People Vs. Larry Flynt is a competent drama and provides an interesting at freedom of speech. Milos Forman’s direction is subtle but meaningful and the script is structured very well. Performances range high in quality and propel the film. This Special Edition DVD comes highly recommended. Buy it.

THE MOVIE	7
THE VIDEO	7
THE AUDIO	7
THE EXTRAS	9
OVERALL (not an average)	8