If you’re looking for your daily dose of escapism, look no more because you’ve found The Dirt! This fast-paced biopic is based on a best-selling autobiography of one of the most popular eighties hard-rock/glam bands Mötley Crüe. Directed by none other than Jeff Tremaine (Jackass, Bad Grandpa), this is not one of those serious and overly dramatic movies about bands. It’s clearly not going to win any awards or be hailed as a “revolutionary movie about a revolutionary band and time in history”. And it doesn’t even try to be that.
Tremaine decided to focus on the crazy and nihilistic events detailed in their autobiography, skipping over serious and melodramatic parts. Sure, they could have made a much, much better movie. A movie that tells a complete story about the rise to stardom, drug use and violent behavior. However, this is not the movie we have before us. The Dirt starts with an act of cunnilingus (pussy eating) quickly followed by an eruption of fluid commonly known as a massive-ass squirt. This tells you everything you need to know about this movie.
We rush through events, gigs and copious amounts of sex, drugs and alcohol. The human body is truly amazing and I keep getting surprised by the amount of damage it can take. And still properly function. It might sound strange but they could have gone even farther with the above-mentioned elements. I mean, this is just a personal preference but if you’re willing to open with such a scene I expect something to top it later on. I have to be honest and say that I considered all these classic bands of the eighties as “pussy metal” and did not listen to them for the longest time. Since then I have grown up and I now enjoy listening to all kinds of music.
Meet Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee, two friends who are looking to form a metal band. It is 1981 and they are having trouble finding the right man to fill the slot of lead guitarist. Luckily they stumble upon an ad in the newspaper stating that a loud, rude and aggressive guitarist is looking for a band. All they need now is a singer, a skinny blonde fucker with moves…
I wanted to say that I really don’t understand why the critics panned this movie but I actually do. It’s the latest victim of a long-running trend where they find a supposedly shallow movie to hate to show their superior intellect. I think that the fact that The Dirt matched that dumb eighties hedonistic and nihilistic attitude and the vibe is just perfect. Just think of some shit you did when you were younger. Some shit that you wouldn’t think of doing now. You didn’t even have an inkling of critical thinking or that some things might be bad or dangerous. There were other priorities. And I am talking from personal experience.
With sleek cinematography and great sets, The Dirt is visually appealing. And when you add to that all those familiar songs you get a pretty explosive package. To quote Ian from Airheads if it’s too loud, you’re too old! The cast was really good and I really think they found the perfect leads. This is not Walk The Line or Behind The Candelabra. It’s also not this new wave of sanitized biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman that the critics adore. It’s a very self-aware thrill-ride that’s perfect for hedonistic viewing. So get ready your choice of poison, increase the volume and get ready to party like it’s the fucking eighties!
PS Believe it or not, but Motley Crew joined The Stadium Tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and were set to hit the stage in the summer of 2020. As you probably guessed, the tour has been postponed to 2021.
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Writers: Rich Wilkes, Amanda Adelson, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Neil Strauss
Cast: Machine Gun Kelly, Douglas Booth, Daniel Webber, Iwan Rheon, Kathryn Morris, Pete Davidson, David Costabile
Fun Facts: The actors playing the band members of Mötley Crüe all learned how to play Mötley songs such as “Looks That Kill”. Rehearsals were posted on the actors Instagram accounts.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800325/
