Directors: Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein
Talent: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick
Release Date: 27th September 2013

Initially, Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein’s biopic charts the hesitant rise to fame of Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried) as the star of 1972’s unlikely mainstream pornographic success Deep Throat. As could be anticipated, it’s all hair, flares and fellatio until the halfway point, when the behind-the-scenes scheming of a cynical industry and Lovelace’s abuse ― both psychological and physical ― at the hands of her manipulative husband Chuck Taylor (Peter Sarsgaard) are exposed.

Yet despite being strengthened by some strong performances (particularly Sharon Stone as Linda’s emotionally aloof mother), it all somehow falls flat. Weak scripting denies Linda of any real spirit or a dignified voice, instead presenting her as naïve and unforthcoming. And rather than confronting us with the dim ‘reality’ of the porn world, the second act focuses mainly on Taylor as the heartlessly self-absorbed architect of Lovelace’s despairs. It all sums up to a film about as deep as that which first made her name.

Words by Muireach Shankey