The Film
For years, there were rumors about a pair of biopics planning to chronicle the controversial life of Linda Boreman, better known as Linda Lovelace. One had Lindsay Lohan attached, before Malin Akerman took over. The one that actually made it to film has Amanda Seyfried taking on the title character in Lovelace.
Boreman, who died in 2002, was best known for her stage name and her oral talents, which were put on display in the 1972 film Deep Throat. At the time of its theatrical release, Deep Throat wasn't just a big deal to the porn world, but the entire world. Against a $25,000 budget, it actually went on to become one of the most profitable films ever made. For the film's star, however, becoming a household name wasn't exactly easy.
That's what Lovelace tries to show us. The film introduces us to the young Linda just moments before she's spotted by Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard), who changes her life forever -- and not in a good way. Oh sure, Chuck manages to charm both Linda and her family, but he's basically the dirtbag who eventually forces Linda into a life of porn, prostitution, and supposedly drugs. See, Lovelace is sort of fuzzy on a few things. It also squanders most of its 93-minute runtime.
The film spends the first third of the movie putting a positive spin on Linda's life. The second half is squandered by repeating those exact same events, from a different, completely horrifying viewpoint. After that, there's very little movie time left, so directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman jump years ahead at a time and completely skimp on the kind of character development so perfectly crafted in another cautionary porn tale, 1997's Boogie Nights.
Seyfried, who is probably best known for her roles in Mamma Mia, Les Misérables and Mean Girls, comes off as a curious choice. That said, she really throws her all into the role and stands out as the best part of the movie. However, Linda comes off as a one-note wonder. There's not much about her life before porn and more importantly, after it. It's also a complete waste of the rest of the cast, which includes Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, Juno Temple, Hank Azaria, Bobby Cannavale, Chris Noth, Debi Mazar, Wes Bentley, Adam Brody, Chloë Sevigny, Eric Roberts and James Franco.
Linda Boreman deserved a better life. She also deserved a movie that's better than Lovelace.
The Picture
Anchor Bay has given Lovelace a 1.85:1 transfer that's true to the source, but probably isn't going to be the most satisfying Blu-ray experience. That's not to say it's bad. It just doesn't look like a brand new movie. Instead, it comes off like a '70s flashback, with a dim color palette and grainy appearance. It also isn't busting with the type of detail that you'd expect to come from a new film. It has a lot of soft moments, but a few of the details (most notably Linda's freckles) do come through quite nicely.
The Sound
Lovelace is really about all of the dialogue. However, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix does offer some pretty big moments, mostly due to its very '70s soundtrack. The music plays an important role here, but the dialogue never gets drowned out. Like the image, this isn't a very memorable track, but it certainly gets the job done.
The Extras
Final Thoughts
Linda Boreman didn't escape the spotlight after her big movie debut. However, you wouldn't know that from Lovelace. The film sort of washes over most of her home life, her porn career, and most importantly, her life as an anti-pornography activist. Instead, it just hits the highlights, which would be fine if it didn't seem so incomplete. The standout of the film is Amanda Seyfried, who does a great job as the title character. The audio and video are fine, but the film and its lack of special features make the Lovelace Blu-ray a bit hard to swallow.
Product Details
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