Summary
The rise of the notorious 80s rock band, Motley Crue
My Thoughts:
The classic rock band biopic seems to be quite the fad right now (although they've been around for a while), with Queen's sugar coated “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018) coming hot off a few Academy Award wins, and the Elton John flick “Rocketman” coming out soon, it's only reasonable to figure that many more are coming, and Netflix just released one right under our noses, Motley Crue's 'The Dirt.' Motley Crue was notorious in the 80s for their wild drunken habits on stage, their drug use off stage, and of course the girls, girls, girls. With the band members still alive today, they had a hand in making this film, and they couldn't be more willing to show and tell us exactly how riotous and stupid they were.
After watching 'Bohemian Rhapsody' I immediately became hesitant with this new wave of the genre; are all these kinds of movies going to be so straight forward, so drama free, and so harmless? Not that 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was bad, it was just too glossy, brushing over any sort of drama, it needed more grit. Of course Motley Crue had a bit more of a hardcore reputation, so following suit, so does The Dirt. Living up to that reputation this movie is full of sex, drugs and rock and roll, but is there enough grit to make it stand above the rest?
To answer the above question, no, not really; it does not have enough grit, but it still has more than “Rhapsody”. With that being said there are some surprisingly genuine moments in this movie, it feels real, like the band members did have a say throughout the production, the characters turn to the camera, frequently enough to work as a pretty effective gag, expressing how stupid their actions were at the time. The scene with Ozzy Osbourne is one of the more memorable, albeit disgusting things I've seen on screen in a while. There's times the humor feels off, sometimes offensive, and never truly hilarious, I think Motley Crue finds their antics from the past funnier than they actually were, but it's nonetheless an entertaining ride. While there isn't enough grit to make this a stellar film, that's not to say there isn't any grit. Obviously the band dabbled in drugs, especially their bassist Nikki Sixx, which is depicted quite well, and at times fairly disturbing- get ready for needles in neck veins. But that's about the height of the drama/grit. There are fights on stage and quarrels that keep scenes interesting, but the pacing is horribly uneven. Although Director Jeff Tremaine (“Jackass”) obviously cares deeply about this project and band, there are times characters are introduced so quickly, and then written off even faster. The dialogue reaches certain levels of cheese, but not enough to cringe, and the story itself is a mess, not knowing whether to takes itself seriously, not seriously, and at times too seriously. I half think that was intentional as it fits the band’s monicker well.
The performances are stellar, and really what keeps the movie on track. All four leads keep pace with each other without overpowering any screentime, we're given enough time with the band to form an attachment, whether you're a fan of Motley Crue or not, this film has heart. The real stand outs are from Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones), the bands incredibly talented guitarist, and also being the oldest member of the band, Rheon bleeds deadpan life into the musician, who is the only one with a decent head on their shoulders, and sometimes provides the younger bandmates with advice, but there isn't enough of that in the writing to truly make up his character archetype. And then from Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelley as Tommy Lee, the bands notorious drummer. I was surprised by how real and fluid MGK is on screen, it seems he's found a new calling in acting after being annihilated by Eminem. And finally from David Costabile, the bands manager, the one who puts up with all the debauchery. Costabile is such an underrated actor, and he's not used to his fullest potential here, that's a directing mistake and a shame, because the scenes with him are easily the most engaging as he brings everything and everyone back down to a level playing field. It's just too bad there wasn't more in the script to fully flesh out his character.
Let's talk about the music! Motley Crue are the bad boys of glam metal, singing about partying, having sex, doing drugs, basically all that the 80s stood for, Motley Crue was belting out all of it. What I appreciated about this movie is that the music is actually secondary to the characters. It's not a 'this is how this song was made, now let's play it' sequence repeated over and over, like 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was. The only time a specific song is put up in big headlines is when the band performs their classic hit "Shout at the Devil" and how back then that caused a lot of controversy. Other than that the songs are referenced and sang abundantly in dazzling concert scenes, but it's not a story of the songs, it's a story about the band, and for the most part that does hold true and sets it apart from the competition.
Overall The Dirt doesn't quite live up to its name, but it's definitely the better of the two rock biopics we've gotten in the past year. The story has heart even though it's an uneven mess, often finding itself funnier than it actually is, but that's not to say that their isn't some genuine laughs. Strong performances are what this movie heavily relies on and it was safe to do so, each one internally becoming a member of Motley Crue. The concert scenes are fun and energetic, giving a solid salute to the rockers. The drama is there and unfolds in a predictable manner, but it's still refreshing to see a band embracing their young idiocy and telling their story of debauchery to the world, even if it doesn't have nearly enough grit as its title would suggest. I give The Dirt 3 out of 5 stars.
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