Lovelace

Excellent Performance From Amanda Seyfried —

I have great respect for Amanda Seyfried and have watched her mature as an actor over the years, as she’s performed in the likes of Mean Girls, Mamma Mia! and the magnificent Les Miserables, but Amanda has always been good, no matter what part she plays. I loved her in the underrated Jennifer’s Body, but her finest was arguably as a high class hooker in Chloe, proving her versatility once and for all. Now she raises the bar again as she takes on the role of Linda Lovelace of Deep Throat fame, and I was more than a little impressed. Some thought she wasn’t quite right for the role, but I strongly disagree, as she managed to invoke sympathy from the audience, especially when playing off a very convincing Peter Sarsgaard (Chuck Traynor), as he threatens and cajoles Linda into continuing making porn, after she decides to quit.

Lovelace

Directors
Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman

Cast
Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Juno Temple and Sharon Stone

Release Date
August 9, 2013

Influx Grade: B+

Linda lives with her parents, a very strict mom, Dorothy (Sharon Stone), and a happy go lucky dad, John (Robert Patrick). They move to South Florida in order to start a new life after Linda becomes an unwed mother. Everything seems fine, with Linda and her parents getting by, and she has a best friend, Patsy (Juno Temple), who spend time hanging around a local roller skating rink and doing what kids of that age do. One night at the roller rink, Linda and Patsy meet the soon to be famous Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard), a bottom feeding low-life who sponges from anyone given half the chance. He at first appears to be a good looking, decent guy who even impresses Linda’s mom and dad, but that is all a veneer as we eventually learn, as does Linda, the true nature of the beast. They get married and eventually need to earn money, that’s where porn director Gerard Damiano (Hank Azaria) comes in and eventually Deep Throat is born.
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Juno Temple is another actor who I have loads of respect for as she has always acted to the best of her considerable ability, and while she was her usual good self, the focus was on Amanda and Peter. Sharon Stone (Casino) as mother to Linda was a good casting decision as the mature actor handles the part with ease and impresses as she once did in days gone by. Lovelace is filled with some fine performances, all managed well by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman from the script by Andy Bellin. It also features the talents of Bobby Cannavale, Eric Roberts, Adam Brody, Wes Bentley and James Franco.

This is a well documented story but there have always been two sides to it. This is us seeing it from Linda’s point of view, as we see her threatened and scared by a greedy Chuck whose only interest is to keep milking his cash cow. Just how much of it all is fact and not embellishment is anyones guess, but I do believe most of it.

Review by Ed Blackadder