Product Details

• Actors: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, Brett Harrelson, Donna Hanover
• Directors: Milos Forman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: January 6, 1998
• Run Time: 130 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0800187814
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,582 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
Leave it to Czech director Milos Forman (One Flew Over to Cuckoo's Nest) to make the most entertaining and offbeat celebration of the American Constitution that the movies have ever given us. You think the First Amendment was designed to protect you from offensive speech? Think again. The real glory of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights--as brought to life in this splendidly quirky and alternately reverent and irreverent comedy--is that it ensures everyone's freedom by protecting a whole range of expression, from the banal to the outrageous. Scripted by the writers of Ed Wood (another affectionately twisted biography of a disreputably eccentric entertainment figure), The People vs. Larry Flynt applies a similar sort of exaggerated and telescoped editorial-cartoon sensibility to the wild life and times of Hustler skin-magazine publisher Larry Flynt. It's the great (and fictionalized-but-true) American story of how smut-peddler Flynt--the poor man's redneck Hugh Hefner--ended up appealing a libel case (brought by televangelist Jerry Falwell) to the Supreme Court and winning a major legal victory that affects us all. Terrific performances by Woody Harrelson as Flynt, grunge-star-turned-glamour-puss Courtney Love as his wife Althea, and Edward Norton as their lawyer (a composite character). --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Try watching a little more objectively..., October 24, 1999

By	J. Conroy (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The People vs. Larry Flynt (DVD)

It's sad to discover that *some* people (who have posted reviews here) have overlooked the merits of this film... and focused only on Larry Flynt as a man. Well, listen up... a movie is not WHAT it's about, but HOW it's about it!

Don't complain about the actions of Mr. Flynt in the movie... after all, he (Flynt) overlooked the production... he really did those things. Perhaps Milos Forman should've CHANGED the events somehow? No!

This film is essentially a sad love story. Nevermind the politics and Ammendement speeches... what we have here is a destructive relationship in the vein of Sid Viscious and Nancy Spungen. It is masterfully directed, beautiful to look at, and deeply engrossing.

Whatever your feelings about Flynt, remember that he did play an important role in our era. Think he's a horrible person? You probably won't get an argument from him, as this film demonstrates.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars informitable and powerful, December 11, 2004

By	steph tosches "stephie" (florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The People vs. Larry Flynt (Special Edition) (DVD)

the people verses larry flynt was a moving and powerful movie based on a true sory in so many differnt ways. free speech the main storyline and the there is with enough money minipulation in the court happens and can even turn into a circus it shows if little poeple like us had all the money our courthouse would be a totaly different place today. larry flynt is a decent man who wasent given a fair shot we just called him a prevert insted. with all the pain he has indured realy who cares about nudie pictures.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good film, August 18, 2000

By	Christopher M. Adams (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very good film. It's well acted and well directed. I agree with the review written by Dennis Littrel., but write to add just two thoughts:

First, this is the type of film that should be made more often. It'd doesn't fall into the typical Hollywood formula of smaltzh, but instead actually has a message. Hate Larry Flynt if you will, but respect the fact that he did us all a great service by testing the limits of our tolerance for 1st Amendment values. It's a great civic lesson.

Second, Coutney Love is OUTSTANDING in this role. She has a charisma that cuts through the screen, and reaches the viewer in ways that I never would have expected from her. Ok, maybe playing a junkie was not much of a stretch for her. But she does it with pure magnestism. Bravo to Ms. Love.