Lovelace (4½ Stars)

How can a film this good be such a failure? The budget was $10 million, but it only earned $1.5 at the box office. Maybe the subject matter was too controversial. Maybe people stayed away because of false expectations? For me there was one main reason for watching it: it stars Amanda Seyfried in the title role, and her acting abilities lend magic to any film she appears in. I wasn't disappointed.

The film is about Linda Lovelace, probably the most famous porn actress ever, even though she only worked as a porn star for 17 days. These 17 days forever defined the perception people have about her. Is that fair? Maybe not, but it's normal. For instance, Roger Bannister is known for four minutes of his life, even though there must be much more to him.

She was born as Linda Boreman in 1949. She married the bar owner and small-time crook Chuck Traynor in 1971. It was Chuck who encouraged her to become a porn star. After leaving him in 1974 she disappeared from the public eye.

I felt unhappy during the first half of the film. It tells of Linda's meteoric rise to fame, and how she mingled with mainstream celebrities. It all seemed so shallow to me. But then I realised this was deliberate. The first half speaks of the Linda Lovelace we know, the second half speaks about the real Linda. The clock rewinds, and we see the same events as in the first half, but we're also told what happened behind the scenes. This is a very effective way of telling a story. I suspect that some "professional" reviewers who call the film shallow only watched the first half before forming an opinion.

Linda was a victim of domestic abuse from the beginning of her married life. Chuck forced her into pornography against her will in order to pay off his debts. In addition to this he pimped her as a prostitute, knowing that her fame could earn him big money. However much she earned for him he remained in debt, due to his luxurious lifestyle and his drug habits. It's estimated that "Deep Throat" was the most successful porn film of all time, earning $600 million. Linda only received $1250. She claims that she was exploited by both Chuck and the film company, but the film company denies this, saying that they honoured all contracts signed with her husband.

This is a deeply emotional film. The second half of it, at least. I was sobbing when it ended.

Linda Lovelace
January 10, 1949 – April 22, 2002