What is the series worth freely inspired by the life of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee? Review of a sex and drug and rock and roll series.
The arrival of Star on Disney + blows a breath of fresh air. Thanks to Hulu productions, the platform with a rather family-oriented editorial line, offers itself some more mature content. This was the case last November with dopesick, which brilliantly retraced the opiate scandal in the United States. This time, it’s another otherwise sulphurous affair that interests the firm with big ears. The story of the first sextape and the legal battle that plays out between actress Pamela Anderson and several emblematic figures of the American porn industry.
In February 1995 Pamela Anderson met Tommy Lee, drummer of the group Mötley Crüe. After a few days, the two stars decide to get married in Cancun. They immortalize in the wake of their lovemaking under the gaze of an old camera. A relic destined to remain secret. It was without counting on Rand, a worker fired like dirt by the musician.
To obtain redress, he decides to steal a safe from the couple’s home. But in the middle of jewelry and weapons, it is particularly a small hi8 cassette that catches his attention. He then embarked on a strange business, alongside one of his adult film producer friends. This is the start of trouble for the actressBaywatch, who sees his private life displayed on the covers of magazines and on the Internet. A story that speaks both of the birth of the Internet and of the eventful career of the one who already dreamed of being the new Jane Fonda.
A story inspired by real events that has not been authorized by the two celebrities, and for good reason. It grants itself a few liberties to transform itself into a veritable fresco of the 90s, trashy, wacky but also dramatic. At the realization, Craig Gillespie is a regular of biopics. The filmmaker notably directed Me Tonya, which focused on the extraordinary fate of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. For his part, the showrunner Robert Spiegel is not at his first attempt either, since he had written the script for the excellent The founder with Michael Keaton.
In Pam & Tommy, this meeting at the top works wonderfully, thanks to the talents of the various actors. In the first place Lily James who delivers a performance up to the challenge, succeeding brilliantly in reproducing the facial expressions and language tics of the star of Alerte à Malibu. If she probably sometimes tends to do a little too much, the actress is particularly revealed in the dramatic scenes, which are much more numerous than one could imagine. Sebastian Stan, rather discreet in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is brilliant in front of Gillespie’s camera. Seth Rogen, equal to himself, brilliantly embodies a loser who will put the boxon in the lives of these two celebrities.
A beautiful score
Aside from its cast, the strength of the new Disney+ series is undoubtedly its storytelling. A story that multiplies the flashes. A story that makes Pamela Anderson a feminist icon, in an industry that literally markets her body every week on television. We see her fighting to get a monologue and to be something other than a pair of feminine attributes that we display in front of the camera. A constant battle brilliantly staged by Craig Gillespie.
If the narration seems disjointed at times, it is ultimately to better build the conclusion of the story. A production that does not hesitate to play on the absurd, by talking about male attributes for example. If this adventure in eight episodes sometimes drags on, it is clear that overall the bet is successful.
Nevertheless Pam & Tommy sometimes struggles to make its different tones coexist, between comedy, drama and trash rereading. This is particularly true in the grand finale, which slides towards the absurd without succeeding in concluding as it should this journey initiated 7 episodes earlier. A strangely rushed end, while the series had so far developed each of its subplots meticulously.
No false notes?
To the sound of the classics of the 90s, Craig Gillespie takes care of his original soundtrack as always, we take pleasure in discovering another version of this story that was once printed on glossy paper. Impeccable production reinforced by controlled photography and stunning special effects. The transformations of Lily James and Sebastian Stan are very successful and allow the series to embrace its biographical dimension.
After Me TonyaCraig Gillespie proves that the biopic can be something other than a simple Wikipedia file reading (hello Bohemian Rhapsody). A rock’n’roll series that takes a fresh look at actress Pamela Anderson and manages to establish her as a feminist figure. Too bad that between drama, comedy and thriller, the series fails to choose its tone. We were not far from faultless.
One thing is certain, after Only Murders in The Building and dopesick, the purchase of Hulu by Disney has definitely been beneficial to the SVOD platform. A way for the giant to attract a more demanding audience, tired of superheroic productions and rehashes Star Wars. The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy will be available from Wednesday on Disney+. Then, we will discover one episode per week until the conclusion 5 weeks later.
Discover Pam & Tommy on Disney+
