Screenwriter Andy Bellin and directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman take a chance with "Lovelace" and tell two stories within a single film - one being the rise of 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace, the other being the brutalization and victimization of Linda Boreman. And while it appears the idea was to present what everyone believed to be Linda's story, then turn it upside down by showing the degradation Linda suffered at the hands of Chuck Traynor, it's an idea that, in the end, doesn't work, mainly because we still never get to figure out just who Linda Boreman-Traynor-Lovelace-Marchiano really was.
A big problem with the film is in the casting. While Amanda Seyfried has some remarkable moments as Linda Lovelace, she's just too sweet and pretty to be convincing. The real Linda Lovelace, as anyone who was around during "Deep Throat" mania knows, had a rough, hardened look about her, while Seyfried has a perky loveliness that's difficult for her to suppress. Adam Brody as Harry Reems and James Franco as Hugh Hefner completely miss the mark, and Ron Pritchard, in his one-line appearance as Sammy Davis Jr., looks and sounds nothing like the legendary entertainer.
Another problem with "Lovelace" is its failure to get the details right. Millions have seen "Deep Throat" - many of whom will no doubt also see "Lovelace" - so you would expect Friedman and Epstein to recreate scenes from the adult classic with painstaking detail. Not so. The hairstyles and clothing of Linda and her co-star Dolly Sharp don't even come close to the way they looked in the actual film. And the brief appearance of Young Doctor Young's nurse as a sultry brunette is inexcusable. The nurse in "Deep Throat" was played by Carol Connors - a toothy blonde (and incidentally, the mother of actress Thora Birch). Finally, Elvin Bishop's 1975 hit, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," is played during a scene set in 1970.
While all of this is distracting enough, the biggest problem is in the script, which fails to delve into the truly complicated life of Linda Lovelace. It completely ignores the porn loops Linda made prior to "Deep Throat" (including one in which she had sex with a dog), and bypasses her re-acceptance of the Linda Lovelance persona in her later, post-feminist life (Linda appeared at porn conventions to sign copies of "Deep Throat" and posed semi-nude for an adult magazine).
The movie gives Linda Lovelace quick and tidy redemption, complete with a tearful reunion with mom and dad, leaving viewers to believe everything turned out just fine. In reality, Linda Lovelace had a difficult and tragic life after Deep Throat, one which would have been worth exploring, but which gets left behind here so the audience doesn't leave the theater feeling all bummed out.
All of this said, "Lovelace" is worth a look for some terrific performances. Peter Sarsgaard shines as the maniacal Chuck Traynor, and Sharon Stone and Robert Patrick are fantastic as Linda's conservative, emotionally distant parents.
Maybe someday someone will come along and do justice to Linda Lovelace by telling the complete story. But for now, we'll have to settle for this semi-mythological version.
A big problem with the film is in the casting. While Amanda Seyfried has some remarkable moments as Linda Lovelace, she's just too sweet and pretty to be convincing. The real Linda Lovelace, as anyone who was around during "Deep Throat" mania knows, had a rough, hardened look about her, while Seyfried has a perky loveliness that's difficult for her to suppress. Adam Brody as Harry Reems and James Franco as Hugh Hefner completely miss the mark, and Ron Pritchard, in his one-line appearance as Sammy Davis Jr., looks and sounds nothing like the legendary entertainer.
Another problem with "Lovelace" is its failure to get the details right. Millions have seen "Deep Throat" - many of whom will no doubt also see "Lovelace" - so you would expect Friedman and Epstein to recreate scenes from the adult classic with painstaking detail. Not so. The hairstyles and clothing of Linda and her co-star Dolly Sharp don't even come close to the way they looked in the actual film. And the brief appearance of Young Doctor Young's nurse as a sultry brunette is inexcusable. The nurse in "Deep Throat" was played by Carol Connors - a toothy blonde (and incidentally, the mother of actress Thora Birch). Finally, Elvin Bishop's 1975 hit, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," is played during a scene set in 1970.
While all of this is distracting enough, the biggest problem is in the script, which fails to delve into the truly complicated life of Linda Lovelace. It completely ignores the porn loops Linda made prior to "Deep Throat" (including one in which she had sex with a dog), and bypasses her re-acceptance of the Linda Lovelance persona in her later, post-feminist life (Linda appeared at porn conventions to sign copies of "Deep Throat" and posed semi-nude for an adult magazine).
The movie gives Linda Lovelace quick and tidy redemption, complete with a tearful reunion with mom and dad, leaving viewers to believe everything turned out just fine. In reality, Linda Lovelace had a difficult and tragic life after Deep Throat, one which would have been worth exploring, but which gets left behind here so the audience doesn't leave the theater feeling all bummed out.
All of this said, "Lovelace" is worth a look for some terrific performances. Peter Sarsgaard shines as the maniacal Chuck Traynor, and Sharon Stone and Robert Patrick are fantastic as Linda's conservative, emotionally distant parents.
Maybe someday someone will come along and do justice to Linda Lovelace by telling the complete story. But for now, we'll have to settle for this semi-mythological version.