The People vs. Larry Flynt

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The People vs. Larry Flynt

R

Released Dec 25, 1996

2h 10m

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

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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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

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... a bawdy burlesque with a crude, smutty, self-promoting clown at the center (at least through most of it).

Apr 29, 2025

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

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Julie D

Long after you've grown tired of his escapades, the scenes in which he and Althea support one another against the slings an arrows of outrageous fortune are touching and, ultimately, genuinely tragic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/27/25

Full Review

Grant H

A confronting message on sexuality, exploitation and the importance of freedom of speech, no matter how repugnant the subject matter. Harrelson and Love have never been better as they inhabit entirely the characters they play.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/25

Full Review

Anson M

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 5 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

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Gregory S

This movie was pretty great. I absolutely dislike the main character of Larry Flynt, but am truly thankful for the fight that he undertook. This case is one of the more important cases that has been tried, and one that people should look back on for today.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/18/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é mais ou menos, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é boa, o elenco é bacaninha, mas a poucos ajudam a melhorar o filme, os personagens sao até bacaninhas, mas não ajudam muito no filme.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/04/25

Full Review

Jack M

Brilliant performances and script

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/25

Full Review

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Milos Forman

Director

Woody Harrelson

Larry Flynt

Courtney Love

Althea Leasure

Edward Norton

Alan Isaacman

James Cromwell

Charles Keating

Crispin Glover

Arlo

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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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
Producer: Michael Hausman, Oliver Stone, Janet Yang
Screenwriter: Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Tristar
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Phoenix Pictures, Illusion Entertainment, Ixtlan Corporation
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
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Surround

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