Synopsis

Larry Flynt rises from a small-time nightclub operator to the controversial publisher of Hustler magazine. After his provocative work brings obscenity charges, violent opposition, and a paralyzing assassination attempt, Flynt and his attorney Alan Isaacman take their fight to court. Their legal battles gradually transform Flynt from a crude provocateur into an unlikely champion of free speech and First Amendment rights.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is based on the real legal battles surrounding Hustler magazine, including the landmark Hustler Magazine v. Falwell case, in which the Supreme Court ultimately protected parody and satire under the First Amendment.

• The screenplay was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the team also responsible for the biographical films Ed Wood and Man on the Moon.

• The closing argument delivered in the film's courtroom climax was taken almost verbatim from Alan Isaacman's real argument. Isaacman later discussed the detail in a documentary about the production.

• The gold vagina necklace worn by Woody Harrelson in a courtroom scene was an actual piece of jewelry owned by Larry Flynt.

• Flynt was not invited to the 1997 Academy Awards, despite the film receiving two Oscar nominations. Harrelson brought him to the ceremony as his guest.

• The film received the National Board of Review's 1996 Freedom of Expression Award, reflecting its focus on censorship, parody, and the limits of public speech.

• The production was released in limited theaters on December 25, 1996, before expanding nationwide in January 1997. It earned approximately $43 million worldwide against a reported $35 million budget.