The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

The story of a controversial pornography publisher and how he became a defender of free speech.

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski

Stars:

Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 22 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Harrelson	...	Larry Flynt
Courtney Love	...	Althea Leasure Flynt
Edward Norton	...	Alan Isaacman
Brett Harrelson	...	Jimmy Flynt
Donna Hanover	...	Ruth Carter Stapleton
James Cromwell	...	Charles Keating
Crispin Glover	...	Arlo
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Chester
Miles Chapin	...	Miles
James Carville	...	Simon Leis
Richard Paul	...	Reverend Jerry Falwell
Burt Neuborne	...	Roy Grutman
Jan Tríska	...	The Assassin
Cody Block	...	10-Year-Old Larry
Ryan Post	...	8-Year-Old Jimmy

Storyline

Larry Flynt is the hedonistically obnoxious, but indomitable, publisher of Hustler magazine. The film recounts his struggle to make an honest living publishing his porn magazine and how it changes into a battle to protect the freedom of speech for all people.

---

Plot Keywords:

hustler magazine | lawyer | female nudity | female frontal nudity | 1st amendment | 

---

Taglines:

You may not like what he does, but are you prepared to give up his right to do it?

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual material, nudity, language and drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Larry Flynt

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$607,652, 29 December 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$20,191,312, 27 April 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Filmhaus, Illusion Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Larry Karaszewski: The hand that puts a dollar bill in the swimsuit of a lady as the title "20 Years Later" displays belongs to one of the writers.

---

Goofs

Flynt's mother, Edith died in 1982, 5 years before Flynt's wife Althea died in 1987. In the movie she is present at Althea's funeral.

---

Quotes

Svelte Reporter: [News broadcast as Larry watches with and friends and family and his staff] Everyone's talking about local boy Larry flynt's Hustler magazine has reached national sales figures of an astonishing two million copies and in a stunning disclosure this reporter has learned that Ohio governor Jim Rhodes himself was spotted at a newsstand buying a copy of the infamous Jackie O issue.

---

Connections

Featured in The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997)

---

Soundtracks

Happy You and Merry Me
Written by Tot Seymour & Vee Lawnhurst

User Reviews

best ensemble cast in years

it is unfortunate that when one thinks of the movie 'people vs. larry flynt' the first person to come to mind is courtney love. not that she does an less then stellar job, rather by focusing solely on her, the rest of the richly deserving cast are overlooked. woody harrelson is genius as larry flynt. despite my liberal leanings, before seeing this movie i had made peace with the fact the flynt was a scum, but i would support him on the basis of free speech. after seeing this movie i was able to gain insight into the parts of his character which make him whole person. instead of seeing what Christian-right zealots, or bleeding heart liberals, tried to force upon me, i saw the entire man and all he brought with him. granted this was shown primarily thru scenes written and directed by milos forman, however, it is harrelson who brings them to life and convinces me of their sincerity.