Synopsis: Biopic of Linda Lovelace, the star of 70s porn phenomenon Deep Throat.
Stan's thoughts: The above synopsis is as much as I knew about Linda Lovelace going into the film and I'm not sure what I expected but it certainly wasn't the film I saw and that isn't a criticism.
The film starts out almost like a teen romance as Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard) frees Linda (Amanda Seyfried) from her austere and controlling mother with the narrative then following how she went on to become the star of Deep Throat. But it only tells half the story, initially, with the second half of the film retracing the steps of key moments in the story and showing what else was going on at the time.
While Chuck is obviously quite controlling and manipulative after he marries Linda, the 'behind the scenes' is far more damning and harrowing and exposes a violent and abusive husband.
Rather than being frothy and tongue in cheek, it is a difficult film to watch and really quite moving. Splitting the narrative so that the full picture slowly emerges worked well (for me).
Great performances from Seyfried and Sarsgaard and the supporting cast which includes Juno Temple and James Franco as a charming, if slightly creepy Hugh Hefner. I didn't even recognise Sharon Stone as Linda's mother.
Enjoyed isn't quite the right word but I thought this was an interesting and well done film, although I seem to be on my own with that.
Ratings- Stan's: 70%
- IMDB: 61%
- Metascore: 51%
- Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
- RT audience rating: 39%
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