A biopic of infamous porn star Linda Lovelace, whose 1972 film Deep Throat, showcasing her unique 'talents', helped bring the porn industry to main stream attention, Lovelace stars Amanda Seyfried in the title role, charting her life in the industry, as well as her later life as an anti-porn activist, with the most focus being put on her ill fated marriage with the abusive Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard), who, declaring himself her manager, controlled every aspect of her life.
Directed by Rob Epstein and Jerry Friedman, Lovelace perfectly captures the look and the feel of the Seventies, and with the focus being put on Linda's marriage, it has found the great hook to tell a powerful and interesting story. The film is basically a two hander, with Seyfried and Sarsgaard giving it their all in their roles. Seyfried perfectly captures the slowly eroding innocence of the character, and is thoroughly convincing at every stage of Lovelace's life. For those who only know her from musicals, this shows her for the extremely accomplished actress she is. Sarsgaard also puts in a fantastic performance, presenting Traynor as a friendly, compassionate figure, before morphing into a true monster, who really gets underneath your skin. Believe me, this movie gets undeniably grim with some scenes of domestic violence that will make you squirm in your seat. But with the focus on the lead pair, the support are left by the wayside. The biggest casualty is Linda's parents (Robert Patrick and an unrecognisible Sharon Stone), with the scenes with her mother being absolutely haunting, Stone's deep seeded christian values being inadvertently responsible for Lovelace's life. You get the feeling that there so much more to explore here, and it hurts the movie slightly. Other fine support comes from the likes of Hank Azaria (whose attempts at comic relief seem a bit out of place), Adam Brody, and James Franco as Hugh Hefner, but in the end, this is Sarsgaard's and Seyfried's show.
While the central performances are fantastic, the execution is a bit odd, and ultimately lets the film down. It backloads all the drama, with the first half almost glamourising Linda's life in the porn industry, while a series of flash backs provides a sobering slap to the face. It's easy to see what they are trying to do, purposely leaving some blanks in the story to be filled in later, but it has a jarring effect on the audience, not entirely fulfilling its purpose. And as I said before, there is a lot left here unsaid, that you are left with the feeling we are only getting half the story.
An interesting film, with a haunting story at its core, the mesmerising performances of its main cast perfectly makes up for any its flaws.
Directed by Rob Epstein and Jerry Friedman, Lovelace perfectly captures the look and the feel of the Seventies, and with the focus being put on Linda's marriage, it has found the great hook to tell a powerful and interesting story. The film is basically a two hander, with Seyfried and Sarsgaard giving it their all in their roles. Seyfried perfectly captures the slowly eroding innocence of the character, and is thoroughly convincing at every stage of Lovelace's life. For those who only know her from musicals, this shows her for the extremely accomplished actress she is. Sarsgaard also puts in a fantastic performance, presenting Traynor as a friendly, compassionate figure, before morphing into a true monster, who really gets underneath your skin. Believe me, this movie gets undeniably grim with some scenes of domestic violence that will make you squirm in your seat. But with the focus on the lead pair, the support are left by the wayside. The biggest casualty is Linda's parents (Robert Patrick and an unrecognisible Sharon Stone), with the scenes with her mother being absolutely haunting, Stone's deep seeded christian values being inadvertently responsible for Lovelace's life. You get the feeling that there so much more to explore here, and it hurts the movie slightly. Other fine support comes from the likes of Hank Azaria (whose attempts at comic relief seem a bit out of place), Adam Brody, and James Franco as Hugh Hefner, but in the end, this is Sarsgaard's and Seyfried's show.
While the central performances are fantastic, the execution is a bit odd, and ultimately lets the film down. It backloads all the drama, with the first half almost glamourising Linda's life in the porn industry, while a series of flash backs provides a sobering slap to the face. It's easy to see what they are trying to do, purposely leaving some blanks in the story to be filled in later, but it has a jarring effect on the audience, not entirely fulfilling its purpose. And as I said before, there is a lot left here unsaid, that you are left with the feeling we are only getting half the story.
An interesting film, with a haunting story at its core, the mesmerising performances of its main cast perfectly makes up for any its flaws.
