The People vs. Larry Flynt
Directed by	Miloš Forman
Produced by	Oliver Stone Janet Yang Michael Hausman
Written by	Scott Alexander Larry Karaszewski
Starring	Woody Harrelson Courtney Love Edward Norton
Music by	Thomas Newman
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	13 October 1996 (premiere at NYFF) 25 December 1996 20 February 1997 11 April 1997
Running time	129 min
Language	English
IMDb profile

The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine publisher and editor Larry Flynt, and his subsequent clash with the law. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love and Edward Norton. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Jan Tomáš Forman (born February 18, 1932), better known as MiloÅ¡ Forman, is a film director, actor, screenwriter and professor. ... William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ... Michael Hausman is an American percussionist and artist manager in the music industry. ... Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski are a Hollywood screenwriting team. ... Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski are a Hollywood screenwriting team. ... Woodrow Woody Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American Emmy Award winning and Academy Award nominated actor. ... Courtney Love Cobain[1] (born Courtney Michelle Harrison on July 9, 1964) is an American rock musician and Golden Globe-nominated actress. ... Edward Harrison Norton[1] (born August 18, 1969) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American film actor and director. ... Thomas Montgomery Newman (born October 20, 1955 in Los Angeles, California) is an American film score composer. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... The New York Film Festival is the one of the United Statess most prestigious film festivals, first held in 1962 in New York. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Jan Tomáš Forman (born February 18, 1932), better known as MiloÅ¡ Forman, is a film director, actor, screenwriter and professor. ... Pornographic magazines, sometimes known as adult magazines, sex magazines, top-shelf magazines, or blue books are magazines that contain content of a sexual nature, typically regarded as pornography. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ... Woodrow Woody Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American Emmy Award winning and Academy Award nominated actor. ... Courtney Love Cobain[1] (born Courtney Michelle Harrison on July 9, 1964) is an American rock musician and Golden Globe-nominated actress. ... Edward Harrison Norton[1] (born August 18, 1969) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American film actor and director. ...

The movie was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. It covered a specific time period in Flynt's life (from his humble beginnings, to the culmination of a series of court cases), and is based in part on the U.S. Supreme Court case Hustler Magazine v. Falwell. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Holding The creators of parodies of public figures are protected against civil liability by the First Amendment, unless the parody includes false statements of fact made in knowing or reckless disregard of the truth. ...

Plot

The film begins by showing young Larry Flynt played by Cody Block at the age of ten, as selling moonshine in an Appalachian region of Kentucky. The narrative then advances 20 years. Flynt (played by Woody Harrelson) and his younger brother, Jimmy (played by Brett Harrelson, Woody Harrelson's younger brother) run a Hustler Go-Go club in Cincinnati. With profits down, Flynt decides to publish a "newsletter" for his club - the first Hustler magazine, full of nude pictures of women. The newsletter soon becomes a full-fledged magazine, but sales are weak. It's only after Hustler publishes nude pictures of former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis that sales take off, partially due to all the publicity surrounding the photos. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Revenue men at the site of moonshine stills, Kentucky, 1911 or earlier For other uses, see Moonshine (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Woodrow Woody Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American Emmy Award winning and Academy Award nominated actor. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ... For other uses, see Hustler (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... First official White House portrait. ...

Flynt, a habitual womanizer, becomes particularly smitten with Althea Leasure (Courtney Love), a runaway-turned-stripper who works at one of his dance clubs. With help from Althea and Jimmy, Flynt makes a fortune off his sales of Hustler and other business activities. Photograph of Althea Flynt, 1980 Althea Flynt (November 6, 1953–June 27, 1987), née Leasure, was the fourth wife of Larry Flynt and the co-publisher of Flynts notorious adult magazine, Hustler. ... Courtney Love Cobain[1] (born Courtney Michelle Harrison on July 9, 1964) is an American rock musician and Golden Globe-nominated actress. ... A striptease dancer performing. ...

With all his success, naturally, comes enemies - as he finds himself a hated figure of conservative, anti-pornography activists. He tries to logically argue against the activists, one of a number of themes the film explores; in one scene, he argues that murder is illegal, but if you take a picture of it you may get your name in Time Magazine or maybe win a Pulitzer Prize. However, he continues, sex is legal, but if you take a picture of that act, you can go to jail. Porn redirects here. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ...

Flynt becomes involved in several prominent court cases, and befriends a young, whip-smart lawyer, Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton). Flynt loses a smut peddling court decision in Cincinnati, but escapes jail time when the case is thrown out on a technicality, thereby beginning his long clash with the legal system. (The real Larry Flynt plays the presiding judge in a cameo appearance.) Ruth Carter Stapleton (Donna Hanover), a Christian activist and sister of President Jimmy Carter, seeks out Flynt and urges him to give his life to Jesus. Flynt seems moved and starts letting his newfound religion influence everything in his life, including Hustler content, much to the chagrin of staffers and Althea alike. Alan Isaacman is an American lawyer, famous for serving as attorney for publisher Larry Flynt. ... Edward Harrison Norton[1] (born August 18, 1969) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American film actor and director. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Donna Hanover, c. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ...

During another trial in Georgia, Flynt and Isaacman are both shot by a man with a rifle while they walk outside a courthouse. (The actual real-life rifleman was Joseph Paul Franklin, who was prompted to target Flynt because he published photos of interracial sex acts). Isaacman recovers, but Flynt is paralyzed from the waist down. Wishing he was dead, Flynt renounces God. Because of the pain, he moves to Beverly Hills and spirals down into severe depression and drug use. During this time, Althea begins to dabble in Flynt's pain medications, eventually becoming hooked on painkillers and morphine. Joseph Paul Franklin (April 13, 1950-) is an American serial killer who may have killed 20 people between 1977 and 1980. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... “Hurting” redirects here. ... For other uses, see: Beverly Hills (disambiguation). ... Morphine (INN) (IPA: ) is a highly potent opiate analgesic drug and is the principal active agent in opium and the prototypical opiate. ...

Flynt undergoes surgery to deaden several nerves, and as a result of it, feels rejuvenated. He returns to an active role with the publication. Flynt is soon in court again, however, and is told to provide his source regarding a video tape of a drug deal. During his ever-increasing courtoom antics, Flynt fires Isaacman on the spot, then throws an orange at the judge, all the while refusing to name his source. Flynt is sent to a psychiatric ward, where he sinks into depression again. In Flynt's absence, Althea and Jimmy run Hustler, taking away any Christian influence in its content. Hustler publishes a satirical parody ad where famous evangelical minister Jerry Falwell "speaks about his first time," and tells of a sexual encounter with his mother. Falwell sues for libel and emotional distress. Flynt countersues for copyright infringement (because Falwell copied his ad). Everything ends up in court, attracting the attention of the media. The jury's decision is a mixed one, as Flynt is found guilty of emotional distress. “Surgeon” redirects here. ... A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers or axons, which includes the glia that ensheath the axons in myelin. ... Binomial name (L.) Osbeck Orange—specifically, sweet orange—refers to the citrus tree Citrus sinensis (syn. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In everyday language depression refers to any downturn in mood, which may be relatively transitory and perhaps due to something trivial. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The word evangelicalism often refers to... This article is about Jerry Falwell, Sr. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ... The Cathach of St. ...

By 1983, Althea has contracted HIV, which proceeds to full-blown AIDS. Flynt finds her dead in the bathtub, having drowned (possibly as the result of an overdose, though this is unclear). With his true love gone, Flynt presses Isaacman to appeal the Falwell decision to the Supreme Court of the United States. Isaacman refuses, saying Flynt's courtroom antics humiliate him. Flynt pleads with him, saying that he "wants to be remembered for something meaningful." Isaacman agrees and argues the "emotional distress" decision in front of the Supreme Court, in a case the media nickname "God versus the Devil" (actually Hustler Magazine v. Falwell in 1988). While Flynt is uncharacteristically quiet in the courtoom, Isaacman argues the case and wins, with the court overturning the original verdict in a unanimous decision. Species Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections). ... For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ... A drug overdose occurs when a chemical substance (i. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the... A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This page is about the concept of the Devil. ... Holding The creators of parodies of public figures are protected against civil liability by the First Amendment, unless the parody includes false statements of fact made in knowing or reckless disregard of the truth. ... In law, a verdict indicates the judgment of a case before a court of law. ...

The film culminates with Flynt's victory; after the trial is over, Flynt is shown wistfully watching old tapes of a healthy Althea.

Reception and recognition

The film was well received by critics, garnering 94% positive reviews, according to the "Fresh" meter on Rotten Tomatoes. [1] The film had 100% positive reviews from high-profile critics. Rolling Stone, USA Today and Newsday all hailed it as the best film of 1996. [2] This article is about the magazine. ...

The film received accolades for Forman and Harrelson, as well as for Courtney Love, featured in her first substantial acting role. Love and Harrelson both received Golden Globe nominations for their work, while Harrelson received a nomination for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Miloš Forman also received a nomination, for Best Director. The film won the Golden Bear for best picture at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival. Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to directors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ... One of the A festivals in Europe. ...

Adaptation changes

• The screenwriters simplify history by condensing Flynt's many lawyers into one, played by Edward Norton. Norton's character is named Alan Isaacman, after the lawyer who argued the Supreme Court case for Flynt, but Isaacman was not the lawyer who was wounded in the 1978 shooting of Flynt; that lawyer was Gene Reeves Jr.
• No mention is given of Flynt's three wives before he marries Althea.
• In the film, Flynt meets Althea at his club in Cincinnati, but in reality, Flynt had several Ohio clubs, and the two met when she worked in Columbus.
• In the film, Flynt experiences total pain loss after one nerve-deadening surgery. In reality, Flynt underwent three surgeries. Only after the final one did he experience complete pain loss.

Alan Isaacman is an American lawyer, famous for serving as attorney for publisher Larry Flynt. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Greater Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: , Country State Counties Franklin, Delaware, and Fairfield Government  - Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area  - City  212. ...

Cast

• Woody Harrelson as Larry Flynt
• Courtney Love as Althea Leasure
• Edward Norton as Alan Isaacman
• Brett Harrelson as Jimmy Flynt
• Donna Hanover as Ruth Carter Stapleton
• James Cromwell as Charles Keating
• Crispin Glover as Arlo
• Vincent Schiavelli as Chester
• Miles Chapin as Miles
• James Carville as Simon Leis
• Richard Paul as Jerry Falwell
• Burt Neuborne as Roy Grutman
• Jan Triska (original spelling Tříska) as The Assassin
• Cody Block as 10-Year-Old Larry
• Ryan Post as 8-Year-Old Jimmy

Woodrow Woody Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American Emmy Award winning and Academy Award nominated actor. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Courtney Love Cobain[1] (born Courtney Michelle Harrison on July 9, 1964) is an American rock musician and Golden Globe-nominated actress. ... Photograph of Althea Flynt, 1980 Althea Flynt (November 6, 1953–June 27, 1987), née Leasure, was the fourth wife of Larry Flynt and the co-publisher of Flynts notorious adult magazine, Hustler. ... Edward Harrison Norton[1] (born August 18, 1969) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American film actor and director. ... Alan Isaacman is an American lawyer, famous for serving as attorney for publisher Larry Flynt. ... Donna Hanover, c. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940), sometimes credited as Jamie Cromwell, is an Academy Award-nominated American television and film actor. ... For other persons named Charles Keating, see Charles Keating (disambiguation). ... For the Scarling. ... Vincent Schiavelli and his then wife Allyce Beasley (September 20, 1987) Photo by Alan Light Vincent Andrew Schiavelli (November 10, 1948 – December 26, 2005) was an American character actor noted for his work in film and television. ... American Actor b. ... James Carville (born October 25, 1944), is a liberal American political consultant, commentator, media personality, and pundit. ... Richard Paul (June 6, 1940-December 25, 1998), is an American actor. ... This article is about Jerry Falwell, Sr. ... Burt Neuborne is a nationally renowned civil liberties defender. ... Jan Tříska (1936 in Prague) is a famous Czech-American actor. ...

External links

• 

  Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

  The People vs. Larry Flynt
• The People vs. Larry Flynt at the Internet Movie Database