Larry Flynt (Woody Harrelson, Natural Born Killers) begins publishing a tantalizing newsletter to promote the dancers at his Hustler Go-Go club in Cincinnati. Encouraged by the overwhelming response, he turns it into a national magazine, setting out to challenge Playboy and Penthouse by pushing adult entertainment beyond its established boundaries. When Hustler publishes nude photos of a former First Lady, the magazine’s notoriety explodes.
As Hustler’s profile grows, Flynt becomes a high-profile target in the culture wars, facing obscenity charges and a series of legal battles over First Amendment rights. His fiercest allies are his dedicated attorney Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton, Fight Club) and Althea Leasure (Courtney Love, Man on the Moon), the former stripper who becomes his wife. The cast also includes Crispin Glover (Back to the Future), James Cromwell (Babe), Vincent Schiavelli (Ghost), Norm MacDonald (Saturday Night Live), and Larry Flynt in a surprise cameo. The People vs. Larry Flynt was Oscar nominated for Best Actor (Woody Harrelson) and Best Director (Miloš Forman). Forman won the Golden Globe for Best Director.
What We Thought:
The People vs. Larry Flynt came out 30 years ago and I probably haven’t seen it since the 1990s. I remember liking it and thinking it was really well acted, but for some reason it just wasn’t a movie I revisited in the past 25+ years.
Rewatching it now, it’s definitely one of Woody Harrelson’s best performances. He humanizes Flynt and you understand despite being a smut peddler, he truly believed in the First Amendment and his rights as an American. Sure, he went about it in the wildest ways, but by taking it to the Supreme Court, he helped set legal precedent.
The film jumps around from Flynt’s early days at a strip club to growing Hustler Magazine into one of the biggest empires around and ends with the Supreme Court decision. Courtney Love plays his love interest and Edward Norton is his lawyer that fights the good fight. It’s one of Norton’s earliest roles and it’s pretty amazing he opened his career with Primal Fear, this, Rounders, American History X and then Fight Club. That’s a heck of a run.
The People vs. Larry Flynt should be considered one of the best ensemble films of the 1990s, but despite it being nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes, it sort of flies under the radar. It’s as good as I remember it and the film looks and sounds great on 4K. There is a second disc of bonus features which includes previously released features and newer ones including new interviews with Harrelson and its writers. If you are a fan of the film or haven’t seen it in a while I definitely recommend checking out this new 4K release.
Special features include a 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible); original lossless stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio option; optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; archival audio commentaries with cast members Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, and Edward Norton and screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski; brand new interviews with Woody Harrelson, screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and others; an archival interview with cinematographer Philippe Rousselot; Miloš Forman on The Charlie Rose Show; an archival making of the film featurette; an archival featurette on Larry Flynt narrated by Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet); deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by Woody Harrelson and Larry Karaszewski; the theatrical trailer; TV spots; image galleries including the original script; and a collectors’ booklet.
The Nerds Templar 