Directors: Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein
Talent: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick
Release Date: 23rd August 2013
Initially, Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein’s biopic charts the reluctant ascent to fame of Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried) as the star of 1972’s unlikely mainstream pornographic success Deep Throat. As could be expected, it’s all hair, flares and fellatio until the halfway point, when the behind-the-scenes machinations of a cynical industry and Lovelace’s abuse ― both psychological and physical ― at the hands of her exploitative husband Chuck Taylor (Peter Sarsgaard) are exposed.
Yet despite being bolstered by some strong performances (particularly Sharon Stone as Linda’s emotionally distant mother), it all somehow falls flat. Weak scripting robs Linda of any real will or a dignified voice, instead presenting her as naïve and reticent. And rather than confronting us with the dark ‘reality’ of the porn world, the second act focuses mainly on Taylor as the heartlessly self-centred architect of Lovelace’s woes. It all amounts to a film about as deep as that which first made her name.
