"Who's the real Linda Lovelace?"
That's the question that "Lovelace", the story of the star of the infamous pornographic film "Deep Throat", attempts to answer. After all, Linda did have what's called by some "the best job in the world." Yet in 1980, a mere eight years after the film's release, Linda (née Boreman) published an autobiography entitled "Ordeal" that described in detail her abuse, rape and coercion into pornography at the hands of her then-husband, Chuck Traynor. This biopic examines that bleak period of her life. It's full of great performances, but sadly, it falls short of offering any startling insight.
"Lovelace" is eager to paint Linda as a victim. This choice makes sense -- our culture is oddly obsessed with sex scandals and quick to demonize those involved in them -- so the challenge of making Linda Lovelace a sympathetic character must have been an enticing one. But they go so far that Linda becomes less of a character to be understood and more of a prop to be pitied. She is defined by the horrible people around her: her cold, domineering mother; her abusive husband; the sleazy porno producers. Linda's character spends the entire movie reacting and rather than acting; her lack of agency makes her difficult to sympathize with. The film ends on a positive note with Linda speaking out against her abusers, but her transition from victim to activist is completely glossed over -- a journey that was undoubtedly a long and arduous one, and would have provided much-needed depth to this one-note story. As it stands, you don't walk out of the theater knowing any more about Linda Boreman than you could have found out by reading her Wikipedia page.
Thankfully, the problematic script did nothing to impede some pretty stellar performances, most notably from Amanda Seyfried as Linda. Ms. Seyfried has enjoyed a certain level of success since her breakout role in "Mean Girls", starring in frothy endeavors like "Mamma Mia" and "Dear John". This is without a doubt her most compelling performance, and may well launch her to new levels of fame. While Seyfried's alarmingly wide eyes, bashful smile and mousy demeanor make her the ideal girl-next-door, she manages to exude a shocking amount of raw pain and desperation. She takes her one-dimensional role and injects it with so much realism that she almost manages to singlehandedly transcend the clichéd script.
The rest of the film is populated by a veritable who's-who of character actors, all of whom turn in exceptional work: Chris Noth ("The Good Wife"), Bobby Cannavale ("Boardwalk Empire"), Hank Azaria ("The Birdcage"), Adam Brody ("The O.C."), and even a brief turn by James Franco as a young Hugh Hefner. The best supporting role goes hands down to a dowdy Sharon Stone as Linda's rigid mother. She's nigh-on-unrecognizable with her bad perm, wrinkled skin and waitress uniform. Supposedly after viewing the film at Sundance, someone asked Harvey Weinstein what he thought of Sharon Stone. His now-famous response: "What? Sharon Stone is in the movie? I had no idea!" Linda's abusive husband is portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard in a typically unbalanced performance; he's perfectly serviceable in the role, but it's so cartoonishly villainous that it's hard to take seriously.
It goes without saying that a film centered around the making of a pornographic film is not for the prudish or the faint-of-heart. And its simplistic whitewashing of an undoubtedly complex story may bother some. But if you want to see a career-making performance by a phenomenal young actress, seek out "Lovelace."
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPJY-g-WoQo[/youtube]
