The People vs. Larry Flynt

R

Released Dec 25, 1996

2 hr. 10 min.

Drama

Biography

List

88%

58 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Pursued by opponents who say his "Hustler" magazine breaks decency laws, pornographer Larry Flynt (Woody Harrelson) hires lawyer Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton) to help fight his legal battles. A zealot shoots the men near a Georgia courthouse, and though Flynt discovers he'll never walk again, his fighting spirit -- like his love for stripper Althea Leasure (Courtney Love) -- stays strong. Ultimately, the unlikely free speech warrior takes his biggest case to a showdown at the Supreme Court.

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Critics Consensus

The People Vs. Larry Flynt pays entertaining tribute to an irascible iconoclast with a well-constructed biopic that openly acknowledges his troublesome flaws.

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Margaret M

A cinematic masterpiece.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/24

Full Review

Kliff H

Times are changing, boundaries are moving. Pushing for the limit, of liberal dumbness vs conservative dumbness. Drugging dull to be so extreme.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/13/23

Full Review

Gareth v

A clever and original biopic about an eccentric man who peddles in porn yet this movie never ventures down that path. While some may question Flynt's morals (unfairly in my opinion) one can't question him for his lack of principles.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/23

Full Review

Lance U

THE PEOPLE VS LARRY FLYNT is an absolute masterpiece! Stars, Woody Harrelson, Edward Norton & Courtney Love, are all in top form and each give career making performances! This is director Milos Foreman's best picture and was even produced by filmmaker Oliver Stone! A-

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/23

Full Review

Taylor L

Larry Flynt was basically a modern P.T. Barnum for the porn industry. A lot of what he did was aimed at generating notoriety, but any guy who knocks Jerry Falwell down a peg or two is alright in my book. The People vs. Larry Flynt feels like a transcription of the events of Flynt's life, not so much a character arc as a literal recounting of his business career and political activism (if you want to call it that). The film benefits tremendously from Woody Harrelson's involvement; he provides some great intensity to the character, and many of his co-stars just sort of orbit around him (Courtney Love is just kind of there as Flynt's wife Althea, and the only reason James Cromwell seems to appear in the film is so the film can provide a bit of a snarky epilogue about his otherwise-irrelevant character). You don't get to know much about Flynt as an individual, though. Take the assassination attempt that left Flynt paralyzed, there's all the drama of a hospital scene and a tough diagnosis, but then the film zooms through his recovery where he apparently gets addicted to painkillers before quitting them moments later; a lot of the subplots feel sort of glossed over like that. Harrelson's skills combined with Flynt's antics make the film a fun watch, but with all the hair grease of the '70s/'80s porn industry and the moral panic of conservatives that continues unabated to this day, this biopic could have been more entertaining if not more cutting. I like all the jabs at Reagan even if he doesn't appear in the film. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

william d

It's not a movie about porn. It's a movie about free speech in the context of a porn merchant and it's very good.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Milos Forman

Director

Woody Harrelson

Larry Flynt

Courtney Love

Althea Leasure

Ed Norton

Alan Isaacman

James Cromwell

Charles Keating

Crispin Glover

Arlo

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The People vs. Larry Flynt: Official Clip - The Supreme Court

2:13

The People vs. Larry Flynt: Official Clip - We Won, Baby

2:10

The People vs. Larry Flynt: Official Clip - Meet Calamity Jane

1:39

The People vs. Larry Flynt: Official Clip - God Created Woman

1:50

The People vs. Larry Flynt: Official Clip - A Dream Client

2:11

The People vs. Larry Flynt: Official Clip - The Price of Freedom

2:12

The People vs. Larry Flynt: Official Clip - The Pervert is Back!

2:12

The People vs. Larry Flynt: Official Clip - Jackie O Nude

2:04

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

It's been a long, dumb spell, but The People vs. Larry Flynt makes it OK to take your brain to the movies again.

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

An exultant comedy of American repression and revolt.

Rated: A

Jun 30, 2008

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

A brave, spectacularly entertaining -- and unexpectedly stirring -- account of Flynt's life that asks us to regard the publisher of Hustler magazine as an invaluable champion of our First Amendment freedoms.

Jun 30, 2008

Full Review

Michael Atkinson

Spin

The People vs. Larry Flynt fairly levitates, but when Love's around it takes off.

Dec 27, 2022

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

It’s funny and absorbing. And also slippery and superficial. It has moments of greatness and power, and moments of shameless preaching-to-the-converted.

Rated: B-

Sep 1, 2022

Full Review

Jimmy Cage

Jimmy Cage Movie Reviews (YouTube)

Woody Harrelson is great as the eccentric, rebellious porn mogul Larry Flynt and 25 years later Milos Formans film is still relevant and just damn entertaining.

Rated: 8/10

Apr 25, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Pursued by opponents who say his "Hustler" magazine breaks decency laws, pornographer Larry Flynt (Woody Harrelson) hires lawyer Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton) to help fight his legal battles. A zealot shoots the men near a Georgia courthouse, and though Flynt discovers he'll never walk again, his fighting spirit -- like his love for stripper Althea Leasure (Courtney Love) -- stays strong. Ultimately, the unlikely free speech warrior takes his biggest case to a showdown at the Supreme Court.

Director: Milos Forman
Screenwriter: Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Tristar
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Ixtlan Corporation, Phoenix Pictures, Illusion Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1996, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.2M
Sound Mix: Surround

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