LOVELACE: A Review

Image from filmoriaco.uk

If you're a child of the seventies, chances are you may have heard of Linda Lovelace... Those of us who were growing up in that decade and who were deeply cocconed in a Catholic school upbringing have varied notions of who she is... the boys naturally, are not as pristine... Chances are, some of the "inquisitive boys" of the day were able to secure copies of her immortal film - DEEPTHROAT.

image from collider.com

Yes, forever immortalized for being able to accommodate the male genitalia orally, her one and only movie belies the pain and horror she faced as a battered wife and sex object for sale. That aspect of her persona was deftly hidden from a viewing public that was at once mystified by her talents and at the same time morally critical of her rise to notoriety. LOVELACE is a film that de-mystifies and de-glamorizes the Linda that viewers thought they knew.

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Now her story is immortalized in film and those who were quick to point an accusing finger at her and called her immoral will be pretty surprised at her descent into a private hell that was gilded by the trappings of seventies pornography. To her credit, Linda Lovelace "set the standards" for upgrading the quality of smut during her time. Her oral technique by then had become legendary, no thanks to a husband who beats her up for every infraction she incurs. But deep inside, she was a tormented soul...

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Peter Saarsgard as Chuck Traynor was quite successful as the abusive husband and manager of Linda Lovelace. He was charmingly proper in front of her parents, caressingly romantic at the start of their relationship and then he turns brutal and insecure with her new-found success. He can't live without her despite the fact that he beats her up. He is convincing when he sells her off for tricks but at the same time, a little part of him dies when he sees her objectified. And yet he doesn't seem to flinch when six men gang-rape her after a done-deal.

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Amanda Seyfried in the title role was quite daring, to say the least. It would have been unimaginable to have been a stand-in for her role. Originally, it was offered to Lindsay Lohan who was perfunctorily replaced owing to her drug-related troubles and "unreasonable" delays on the set. I admired Seyfried on Mama Mia and adored her singing voice in Les Miz. This time, she goes beyond her comfort zone what with multiple breast exposures. Mercifully, they knew when to stop! The focus was not on nudity but on her deplorable situation. This was especially evident when she runs back to Momma for help and she is callously turned away by a mother who was so detached, the audience could feel the ice forming on her clenched jaw.

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The film isn't outstanding... but it isn't half as bad as some US critics think. The production design was consistent and the dialogue had some seventies buzzwords/cliches that made it sound authentic. You dig it? Even the soundtrack was relatably 70's what with Gladys Knight and the Pips and some BeeGees thrown in.  The support cast was garbed in lots of jersey with Pucci prints. The actors in the supporting roles contributed much to the story's unfolding. Debbie Mazar as Marilyn Chambers looked every inch the aging porn diva who has to relinquish her light to a budding porn queen. Despite the mixed reviews, Amanda Seyfried, is gaining the buzz at winning the Oscar's best actress plum. Her eventual awakening into women's lib activist and happy mother and wife and her  reconnecting with her family towards the end of the movie was thouroughly acted even her ice-queen of a mother allows as much as a hug for a move to reconciliation. 

It was a nice movie... now if only it will play for more than a week... =)