LOVELACE

Peter Sarsgaard as Chuck Taylor and Amanda Seyfried as Linda Lovelace in LOVELACE
Peter Sarsgaard as Chuck Taylor and Amanda Seyfried as Linda Lovelace in LOVELACE

“Don’t forget to breathe” Chuck instructs his new bride Linda as she fellates him. His coaching and her natural talent created a phenomenon in the persona of Linda Lovelace, infamous star of the landmark porn flick, Deep Throat.

Directors Rob Epstein and Jerry Friedman have teamed to make a biopic of Linda, simply called LOVELACE (MA) and it’s a solid if not sensational cinema experience.

Amanda Seyfried plays Linda in a brave performance, a naïve Catholic girl with a loving father (Robert Patrick) and a neurotic mother who plays like a wicked step mother (Sharon Stone). The family has fled to Florida from New York after an indiscretion by the young Linda.

She comes to the attention of Chuck (Peter Saarsgard) who runs a titty bar and is a charming chancer. Strapped for cash after his establishment is busted for prostitution,  Realising Linda’s particular carnal talents and her cute freckled face could be his entre into the adult movie business, he sets up an audition, and the rest is history.

What this film seeks to do is colour in the parts we don’t know, how Chuck, who later married another mega porn star, Marylyn Chambers, was an abusive, obnoxious man, really nothing more than a pimp.

Both leads acquit themselves splendidly and there is sterling supporting work from James Franco as Hugh Heffner, Hank Azaria as Deep Throat director, Gerry Damiano, Bobby Cannavale (currently cutting up the screen in BLUE JASMINE) as a porn producer and Chris Noth as a mob money man.

As competent as it is LOVELACE never comes out of the shade of the documentary Inside Deep Throat or the feature film Boogie Nights.