Film Review: Notoriety Triggers the Breaking Point in ‘Lovelace’

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CHICAGO – It was one of the strangest star-is-born stories in show business history. One porn film – “Deep Throat” – permeates the American consciousness at precisely the right time. The “lead” actress in the film becomes a household name – and then becomes a victim of it – in ‘Lovelace.’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

The film is the story of Linda Boreman, AKA Linda Lovelace, during a crucial ten years of her existence. “Deep Throat” was released in 1972, and “Lovelace” chronicles the before and after effect of that film on Linda Boreman. This is brutal stuff, for the world of pornography isn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows. The new crowned Linda Lovelace is manipulated by her husband Chuck Traynor, and forced into a celebrity that involves an exaggerated skill set (as all pornography portrays), virtually no pay (despite the film making several hundred million dollars) and a husband willing to sell her into essential prostitution. Amanda Seyfried as the title character gives a vulnerable and precise portrayal, but it is the culture around her that has gone mad, and has no problem abusing a victim of its circumstance.

Linda Boreman (Amanda Seyfried) is a recently minted Florida resident in 1970, after her parents (Sharon Stone and Robert Patrick) move there from New York. One year after an unwanted pregnancy and giving up the child, Boreman meets Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard), who owns a club where Linda briefly worked as a dancer. They fall in love and marry, as Traynor begins to experiment with 8mm porn films, starring his new wife.

These films gain notice from the more mainstream porn industry, rapidly developing as movie theaters emptied by television are willing to show “X-rated” fare. Linda Traynor is renamed Linda Lovelace, and stars in the most famous porn movie ever, “Deep Throat.” The timing of its release in 1972 – post the sexual revolution and with theater owners willing to show it – make it a sensation. The victim of this success is Linda Lovelace, exploited and abused by Chuck Traynor.

“Lovelace” has a limited release, including Chicago, on August 9th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, Chris Noth, Bobby Cannavale, Hank Azaria, James Franco and Debi Mazar. Screenplay by Andy Bellin. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Rated “R”

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Lovelace”

Amanda Seyfried
Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried) Makes Her Debut in ‘Lovelace’
Photo credit: Dale Robinette for RADIUS-TWC

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Lovelace”

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