Lovelace (2013)

Directed by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. Starring Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris Noth, Bobby Cannavale, Hank Azaria, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, Adam Brody, Juno Temple, James Franco, Debi Mazar, Eric Roberts. [R]

The story of of Linda Boreman (Seyfried), better known by her show business name Linda Lovelace, the star of the most famous adult film ever released, Deep Throat. It is asserted that Lovelace was not a completely willing participant, but was instead subjected to horrific abuse and coercion by her husband, Chuck Traynor (Sarsgaard). Competent biopic has a good cast and does a respectable job recreating the environments and prevailing attitudes of the era, but it’s also short and shallow, failing to provide any insights besides exposing sordid behavior, or to give most of the characters more than one note to play (it’s too easy to say that the film doesn’t go, ahem, deep enough). Trouble is, Linda’s simply not that significant, fascinating or sympathetic of a figure to be devoted an entire film—she’s just a victim that got involved with the wrong people, especially that loathsome creep of a spouse. And, please, it’s time to put the kibosh on featuring “Spirit in the Sky” on the soundtrack for movies set in the early-70s (three separate times here). Franco plays Hugh Hefner as if Hugh was trying to imitate James Franco; Chloë Sevigny and Wes Bentley have cameos.

48/100