Swift shot: What was it like to be “Deep Throat?” Only Linda Lovelace knows for sure, and this Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman directed biopic based on the novel Ordeal, authored by Lovelace, gives us a glimpse into the burgeoning porn industry of the sex-teeming seventies. Amanda Seyfried is not afraid to shed her inhibitions, as she shows off her full figure in several scenes throughout the short 92 minute film. Co-star Peter Sarsgaard is no stranger to sexually graphic scenes, so he was comfortable playing Chuck who helps launch Linda’s “movie career.” But this isn’t a story about the glitz and glamour of seventies Los Angeles, it’s a story about the literal (and perhaps first) girl-next-door who gets swallowed up by a dark entity and perhaps a darker industry. Not much has changed, I guess.
Linda is plucked from her parent’s Davie, Florida home by the ever-charming Chuck as he easily puts the moves on the young, attention-starved Linda. Her parents, played exceptionally well by Sharon Stone and Robert Patrick have self-exiled the family, because Linda put a child up for adoption in New Jersey. Unable to live with the shame, the entire family resets their lives to accommodate Linda’s sin. These were different times, so I don’t even know if the less aged audiences will understand the principle of shame, as our society seems to not only accept shameful behavior, but rather nourishes it with shows on MTV that continue to create “stars” out of these lost souls.
Linda’s world quickly revolves around Chuck, as she has to do all manner of things to bail her new husband out of trouble, and eventually, jail. She is very Catholic; however, so she complies with his requests to help with “their money problems.” She must serve her husband’s needs.
While this is really a story about a wayward Catholic girl in a marriage she doesn’t understand, and dealing with her out-of-touch mother, what resonated the most, for me, was Robert Patrick’s role, as Linda’s father, John. He truly loves Linda, and he tries to be there for her, and he doesn’t judge her . . . but in one scene the true emotion of his pain is incredibly gut-wrenching by Robert Patrick. I give him the highest of praise for that one scene, and what he was able to do with minor screen time. Other critics may focus on Sharon Stone, but after Casino, I know what she can do. Patrick surprised me with his performance.
Of course, this is really the Amanda Seyfried comes out of her shell film, where she shows all her bits and pieces and lets the audience sit back and judge her. I can’t say I was disappointed, as the emotional shifts in the film were felt in a place I wasn’t expecting . . . my conscience. As you watch the naked young actress on screen you can’t help but juxtapose Seyfried’s career (and success) compared to Linda’s ultimate “fame” of another variety.
Debi Mazar as Dolly provides some of the much-needed comic relief, and supporting cast Chris Noth, Hank Azaria and others like Bobby Cannavale did a good job recreating the early 70s where sex was the order of the day and a little film about a specially talented plain girl changed the porn industry forever . . . and thanks to a certain FBI informant, her infamy will never fade.
The film flips a switch about forty minutes in, as we are shown different cuts of previous scenes and shown a much darker side of the world of abuse and control by Chuck and others. This is why I said earlier on twitter that the film was brilliantly edited, much like an abused person might only focus on the “good times” and overlook all the bad. The directors show the stark reality of Linda’s world inside compared to the one she showed the world. Even Hugh Hefner, played terribly by James Franco, managed to disgust me . . . if Linda’s story in Lovelace is accurate.
This film is the Mommy Dearest of the porn industry, but I didn’t want to say that above the spoiler bar, because I was not expecting that at all . . . having never read Ordeal.
I can also honestly say I have never seen Deep Throat, but now I think I may have to, to understand just how impeccable an actress Linda truly was. She might not have been a great actress on screen, but she managed to fool the world that she was happy whilst performing all manner of depraved acts with men her husband forced her to endure.
