Lovelace

Filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's portrait of Linda Lovelace—late star of the 1972 porn classic Deep Throat—tells the actress's story from two different perspectives, initially presenting a rosy-eyed version that focuses on how young Linda Boreman (Amanda Seyfried) gained fame under her nom de cinema and enjoyed a brief moment in the celebrity sun. And then Lovelace totally upends the tale by dramatizing how the starlet was brutally controlled by her husband (Peter Sarsgaard), whom she eventually had to flee. This juxtaposition of a bouncy rags-to-riches tale and a gritty feminist parable of exploitation—followed by a redemptive coda in which Boreman becomes an anti-pornography activist—makes for an often fascinating but also uneven film. Seyfried and Sarsgaard are excellent, and an almost unrecognizable Sharon Stone adds a strong supporting turn as Boreman's rigidly religious mother. It's also hard to resist the comic energy that Hank Azaria and Bobby Cannavale bring to their roles as the colorful filmmakers of Deep Throat—Gerry Damiano and Butchie Peraino, respectively—or even the cool efficiency displayed by Adam Brody as Lovelace's porn costar Harry Reems. Like virtually all docudramas, Lovelace plays fast and loose with various facts, presenting the subject as far more naïve and innocent than she was, and ignoring a serious auto crash that had a major impact on her health. But this is still an intriguingly stylish, if also incomplete, combination of biography and cautionary tale. Recommended, overall. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (14 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for an interesting bio-pic.] (F. Swietek)