‘Crucible’ And ‘Larry Flynt’ Disappointing

Every year, there are a few films that get non-stop press for months and the undying devotion of seemingly every major reviewer. Recently, these distinctions went overwhelmingly to two films: “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and “The Crucible.”

Both were extremely difficult projects on extremely complex and controversial subjects. And both are exactly the type of film that usually cleans up at the Oscars and gets remembered as a ground-breaking work of art.

In my opinion, neither of them was really all that good.

Now, don’t get me wrong, these movies are a definite step up from “Jerry Maguire” and “Michael,” but they aren’t the movies that should go down as master works in the annals of film history.

Let’s look at “The Crucible” first. Based on Arthur Miller’s famous play, “The Crucible” deals with the hysteria surrounding the Salem witch trials, a topic one might think would make for an exciting movie. Unfortunately, it does no such thing.

While Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder give the performances of their lives, that’s simply not enough to make up for the striking lack of power and excitement in this film. Despite the best efforts of the actors, no real sympathy is ever developed for their characters. Because the movie is based on the audience caring about the characters, the effect is devastating.

Frankly, “The Crucible” feels like a soap opera, and not a very good one.

“The People vs. Larry Flynt” is a little better. It tells the rags-to-riches story of porn magnate Larry Flynt and his constant run-ins with the law and the First Amendment.

Flynt is best known for his “Hustler” magazine and the Supreme Court case that won him the right to print just about whatever he wanted about anyone. This story is told well in the biographical film, but the movie doesn’t stop there.

“Larry Flynt” takes it upon itself to examine nearly every aspect of Flynt’s life - some important to the story, some utterly meaningless. For instance, 15 minutes of the film are spent on Flynt’s flirtation with Christianity but, after he reverts to his old ways, this distraction simply doesn’t matter.

As with “The Crucible,” the lead roles here are played magnificently. Woody Harrelson, whose versatility seems to know no bounds, and Courtney Love, whose charisma seems to know no bounds, both give Oscar-worthy performances.

But they fail to save the film. The movie never really gives the viewer anything to care about or enough entertainment value to get away with it.

If you like haughty art films that don’t seem to care whether you like them or not, “Larry Flynt” and “The Crucible” might just be for you. But as far as I’m concerned, “Beavis and Butt-head” and “Scream” are a pair more worthy of your money.

“The Crucible,” Grade: C-

“The People vs. Larry Flynt,” Grade: B-