I can’t lie — I love doing these “Throwback Thursday” reviews.
I love watching movies — older, newer, it really doesn’t matter to me. I simply enjoy getting lost for a couple of hours each and every week.
And while the films we review here are supposed to be older, I have broken the rules quite a few times. I have reviewed newer films, television shows and the like.
With that in mind, I re-watched the Netflix film “The Dirt,” which is based on the bestselling 2001 book of the same name. It tells the story of the 1980s rock band Motley Crue. I recently finished reading “The Dirt,” which is an interesting book because it tells tales through the eyes of the band members. In the book, they take turns writing chapters. The film tries to duplicate that, with mixed results.
The filmmakers have the difficult task of trying to cram four decades about the band into a couple of hours. It’s tricky, but the filmmakers do a decent job with it.
Say what you want about “The Dirt,” but it is cast well. One of the big narrators is Nikki Sixx (Douglas Booth), who escaped an abusive home life and changed his name. Sixx is already in a band when he meets Tommy Lee (Machine Gun Kelly). They begin looking for a guitarist and find old-timer Mick Mars (Iwan Rheon). Now, all the band needs is a singer. Enter Vince Neil (Daniel Webber), a pretty-boy blonde who immediately jells with the three band members.
I didn’t remember Machine Gun Kelly the first time around, but he really does an excellent job playing Lee. Tommy Lee, of course, rose to fame with the Motley gang before a sex tape launched him into superstardom. He was married to Heather Locklear and then “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson.
“The Dirt” tries to pick and choose the best stories from the book. The opening scene of the film is too raunchy to describe in a family newspaper, but there are some crazy tales along the way that can be printed here. The Crue lives in squalor when we first see them and they pass the time by setting cockroaches on fire, having sex with groupies, drinking, doing drugs (lots of them) and destroying things — everything from cars to hotel rooms. If you watch “The Dirt,” there’s a memorable scene when the band is on tour with Ozzy Osbourne. I’ll leave it at that.
One of the key moments in the film comes about midway through when Neil goes for a joyride with his friend Razzle (Max Milner), of the band Hanoi Rocks. Neil crashes his Corvette (not what he was actually driving) and kills Razzle in the process. The book spends a great deal of time on Razzle’s death because Neil basically used his celebrity as a “get out of jail free card.” He is sentenced to 30 days in jail and spends just 19 days there, which is somewhat unbelievable.
If there’s one problem I have with “The Dirt,” it’s that the filmmakers were so concerned with getting the era correct, they skimmed over key events in the formation, success and in-fighting that eventually brought down the band, although they did tour again recently. While I didn’t see them live, the reviews were mixed.
Back to the film.
Because there is so much attention to detail as far as costumes and sets are concerned, at times you’ll feel like you are watching a cartoon about the band. The filmmakers also try to break through the “third wall” and have the actors speak directly into the camera. Sometimes, it works. Other times, it falls flat.
The guys who play the Crue are solid, but one of the film’s best performances comes from “Saturday Night Live” cast member Pete Davidson. He plays Tom Zutaut, who originally signed the band. David Costabile shines as Doc McGhee. He’s the band’s manager and he tries to control the mayhem.
While “The Dirt” isn’t a great film, it is entertaining. It makes you wonder how many of the stories are legit and how many are embellished. Full disclosure: I grew up listening to Motley Crue and actually saw them on the “Dr. Feelgood” Tour. Yes, I am a fan. That certainly makes “The Dirt” more enjoyable.
And although I enjoyed “The Dirt,” a Motley Crue documentary probably would have been even better.
If you are going to check out “The Dirt,” make sure that the young ones aren’t around. It’s raunchy. There’s plenty of gratuitous sex, drug use and partying scattered throughout the film. Because it’s a Netflix film, it is unrated.
But it is definitely for mature audiences only.
Chris Morelli is the managing editor of The Centre County Gazette.
