OK...first off, I never saw Deep Throat...I know... I guess I have been living under a rock. I do know who Linda Lovelace was, but she never was of any significance in my world...well...I was about ten when she caught her 15 minutes of fame. Why did I watch the film you may ask(or maybe you should ask why I think I have something important enough to say about it.) I was at the library and there it was in the DVD section so I thought I would give it a try. So with absolutely no expectations this is what I thought.
The film started out with a step back into what seemed like The Brady Bunch set. The lighting, the tint of the film and even the set decoration was so 1970's television that I had to laugh. Two young girls talking in the back yard, one unsnaps the back of her bra to get some sun while the other acts embarrassed. See, it could be Marcia and one of her friends. I thought this opening was genius.
Enter the great Sharon Stone, I thought it was just the make-up, but her acting is so spot-on as a suburban housewife of the era that she is unrecognizable in the role...she disappears into the character. She has always been a wonderful actress, but here she deserves awe. The rest of the cast does a good enough job at selling the story and I know that many, here, have complained that the story is not truthful...but, what do I know about the truth of this woman's life ? The film is a device to paint a picture of Linda Lovelace that the Director(s) saw. Truth, well this is Hollywood baby...
The problem is who cares ? In the end I just do not care about Linda Lovelace... no matter how interesting they made the look of the transitions from 1970's to the blatant depth of reality in act two.
Don't get me wrong, I am not a sociopath, I understand that she went through some tough times, but it is one of the weaknesses of the film that I, in my humble opinion, do not believe the editing sold. There are too many cuts away from the sadness of her situation. I also believe that showing the positive view of the story, in the way they did, in act one and then flipping to the negative view in act two would have needed a strong third act which is missing in this film. The third act is very weak and dissolves into emotional tricks to get the audience to feel sorry for Lovelace. The screen writing should have been working on that sympathy all along and not trying to give it to us in one shot. Doing so reminded me of another 1970's stable on Television....the Afternoon Special.
I do think that Ms. Stones portrayal of Linda's mother is worth a view or two and maybe even an Oscar nod. I understand that the director(s) are former documentary filmmakers and I have not seen their work, but I am surprised that people with such a background could not come up with a stronger third act or assembled a better narrative. If, for some reason, Linda Lovelace is important to your life (I simply do not see it), please do buy many copies of this film so that the directors will have a chance to make a better one when the suits see how well it did in DVD.
Finally, It is hard to make a film today, especially with such big names as are in this film. I do not think that Ms. Stone or any of the other actors, the crew or any company would care what I have to say and neither should you. If you think you might want to watch the film, do so. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....
The film started out with a step back into what seemed like The Brady Bunch set. The lighting, the tint of the film and even the set decoration was so 1970's television that I had to laugh. Two young girls talking in the back yard, one unsnaps the back of her bra to get some sun while the other acts embarrassed. See, it could be Marcia and one of her friends. I thought this opening was genius.
Enter the great Sharon Stone, I thought it was just the make-up, but her acting is so spot-on as a suburban housewife of the era that she is unrecognizable in the role...she disappears into the character. She has always been a wonderful actress, but here she deserves awe. The rest of the cast does a good enough job at selling the story and I know that many, here, have complained that the story is not truthful...but, what do I know about the truth of this woman's life ? The film is a device to paint a picture of Linda Lovelace that the Director(s) saw. Truth, well this is Hollywood baby...
The problem is who cares ? In the end I just do not care about Linda Lovelace... no matter how interesting they made the look of the transitions from 1970's to the blatant depth of reality in act two.
Don't get me wrong, I am not a sociopath, I understand that she went through some tough times, but it is one of the weaknesses of the film that I, in my humble opinion, do not believe the editing sold. There are too many cuts away from the sadness of her situation. I also believe that showing the positive view of the story, in the way they did, in act one and then flipping to the negative view in act two would have needed a strong third act which is missing in this film. The third act is very weak and dissolves into emotional tricks to get the audience to feel sorry for Lovelace. The screen writing should have been working on that sympathy all along and not trying to give it to us in one shot. Doing so reminded me of another 1970's stable on Television....the Afternoon Special.
I do think that Ms. Stones portrayal of Linda's mother is worth a view or two and maybe even an Oscar nod. I understand that the director(s) are former documentary filmmakers and I have not seen their work, but I am surprised that people with such a background could not come up with a stronger third act or assembled a better narrative. If, for some reason, Linda Lovelace is important to your life (I simply do not see it), please do buy many copies of this film so that the directors will have a chance to make a better one when the suits see how well it did in DVD.
Finally, It is hard to make a film today, especially with such big names as are in this film. I do not think that Ms. Stone or any of the other actors, the crew or any company would care what I have to say and neither should you. If you think you might want to watch the film, do so. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....