“The Dirt” (Motley Crue movie bio based on Nikki Sixx’s book)

I agree with you. The sixties was different as was the seventies and eighties and so forth. Mötley Crüe’s heyday was the 80’s; definitely a different time period and different mores.

 

I mean, I think the issue is that MC as individuals weren't particularly likeable on a personal level and that's what drives the film. It's fair game to talk about that.

 

Thanks so much for sharing that!

I love this little bit:

Colson Baker, aka Machine Gun Kelly, plays Tommy Lee, and he’s occasionally funny, too. He’s written as the most appealing of the four, because he’s just a genial dipsh!t instead of an amoral human garbage pile.

 

I'm trying to think how to make a great film about rock and roll, realize the best ones are not about the people in the band at all, but about the people around the band. Like Almost Famous, the two most compelling characters were a writer and a groupie band aide.

The quote attributed to Zappa was that rock criticism was "people who can't write interviewing people can't talk for people who can't read." It may just be that the creative types in the band might just not be all that interesting.

Two rock movies I'm really interested in seeing are Pamela Des Barres's I'm With The Band and the life story of Cynthia Plastercaster.

 

Nothing says geniality quite like punching your girlfriend in the mouth, knocking her teeth out and leaving her on the street with a handful of mucus and blood.

With 15 years of personal growth, Tommy went on to abuse his wife in front of his sons, one of which would punch him unconscious 20 years later.

 

I think we can assume that the others were even worse.

 

Not laughing at abuse (of women especially), but it comes off kinda funny. Tommy beat up his girlfriend, beat his wife in front of his children. Oh and he's the good guy!!!

 

By all accounts, Mick Mars aka Bob Deal was at least ten to fifteen years older than the rest. He’d done his stuff and was really just wanting to “make it”. I’m sure he participated somewhat in the others’ antics, but Lee, Sixx, and Neil were the true bad boys (idiots) of the group. If Tommy Lee comes across as a fool, it’s probably accurate, but he was a huge a-hole himself.

 

No reason that one can't hit the trifecta of being an idiot, a jerk and an abuser all at the same time.

 

I don't think the problem is that the film shows men treating women badly (because that happens). It's that the film depicts women as not deserving of respect. I mean, they don't have a personality. They are literally there to be pretty, to be hit or puked on. It's like they are a different species.

It's not a very good film, on any count. It's as if you took real people and a real story, you don't need to bother with developing characters or story. It's also more proof that, for all his comedy skill, Pete Davidson can't act. He fits right in here. The acting all through the film is like watching people lost at sea.

 

About what I expected. Not terrible. Not Great

 

I started to watch it tonight and after the second Netflix lock-up about 15 minutes in, I gave up and will give it another shot over the weekend. What I saw actually wasn’t terrible but as I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, the fact the actors hardly resemble their subjects and so far come off as more likeable buffoons (except Mick Marrs who seems just surly) doesn’t make for compelling viewing so far.

One thing I was hoping to see was more credit given to Van Halen who basically wrote the book for bands like Motley Crue to put together a band that appealed both to the male metelhead rawkers and the females who wanted to get in the band members britches, self-promote, gig the Hollywood clubs and build a fan base leading to national exposure with a solid first album.

Regarding the depiction of women.... well, I have to say as someone who lived that early to late 80’s Sunset Strip livestyle, the vast majority of women that hung out in that scene are so far accurately depicted in this movie. Most guys weren’t fine examples of human intellectual or moral evolution either. Those days, I caught a fair share of parties that were every bit as debauched as the one that opens this movie.

 

I don’t remember rape and DUI manslaughter being accepted in the 80s. Maybe others remember that differently.

 

I think you're taking things a little too literal. We'll just have to disagree friend.

 

Wiki says he was born in 55 and the others were born 58 to 61. Is that wrong?

 

Was a okay watch, I never knew the backstory to Motley Crew so it definitely shone some light on who they were. Good rock n roll story on mainly showcasing how bad ass they were compared to other bands. I didn’t really like that angle as it seemed overplayed and almost comical.
Acting was nothing spectacular but easy to watch and the movie flowed fine.
If any criticism may be that the serious sad parts were not that convincing even though they actually happened. (Could be the acting)

 

oh it was terrible.

I'm not a MC fan, don't own any records by them and I don't like this genre but I do like music biopics of any sort. This one fell flat though. Quite apart from the sexism, the film was badly acted and poorly written. There wasn't really a story here to form a three act film, and you didn't really care what happened to any single person. I also didn't realise their music was quite as bad as it was so there were no good tunes to enjoy.

I found the casting awful as well. An Aussie, Welshman and an English guy playing three Americans. The lead singer (who was great as Lee Harvey Oswald) just didn't have the looks to convince you girls would scream at him, and the others lacked charisma that I think the original band had. They should of cast much better looking people i think.

And Ramsey Bolton continues his spiral downwards after the unbearable Inhumans. He was great in GOT but that's starting to look like a fluke now.

this film made something like The Runaways seem like Citizen Kane.

i doubt even MC fans will enjoy this. Maybe 14 year old boys.

 

Yes, I am. Vince Neil literally killed someone while driving drunk. But the 80s were a different time, and that wasn’t perceived as such a big deal back then.

 

He only served 15 days for that which I found strange. I'm sure you'd serve years these days for manslaughter.

 

Yeah, he skated with 15 days in jail. Not saying it's right, but that's how it was. That would never happen today (at least I hope it wouldn't).

And, I have to admit the movie wasn't that good, but I'm not the biggest MC fan to begin with.

 

Neil acknowledges that he basically bought his way out of jail:

The Day Hanoi Rocks Drummer Razzle Was Killed in a Car Crash

Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle (left in above photo) was killed on Dec. 8, 1984, in a car accident. Born Nicholas Dingley, he was a passenger in a car driven by Motley Crue's Vince Neil.

The two bands were at a party given in honor of the Finnish band's first U.S. tour, when Neil and Razzle -- both of whom reportedly had already been drinking -- decided to make a run to the liquor store. As the car made its way around a winding Hollywood road, Neil lost control of the vehicle and smashed into another car. All involved sustained injuries, but Razzle was less fortunate. He was taken to South Bay Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. He was 24 years old.


Two decades later, Neil -- who was released from his 30-day jail sentence for the incident 10 days early for good behavior -- expressed remorse and admitted that he got off too easy for driving under the influence, telling Blender (via OpposingViews), "I wrote a $2.5 million check for vehicular manslaughter when Razzle died. I should have gone to prison. I definitely deserved to go to prison. But I did 30 days in jail and got laid and drank beer, because that's the power of cash. That's f---ed up."

 

Excellent film with pitch perfect performances. Really impressed with the actor who played Vince Neill. That's a role that could've easily devolved in 80s "front man" douchery but he managed to make the character layered and sympathetic. Kudos on the writing as well. I think it was exactly the movie it wanted to be. To be honest, I think it's much better than Bohemian Rhapsody- a film that tried too hard.

 

Wiki seems to be shaving off a few years. Judging from what he says in The Dirt about bands he was in and when, Mars would have to be at least pushing 30 when he joined the Crüe.

 

IMDB lists his date of birth as 4 May 1951.

Mick Mars - IMDb

 

That would be correct. Wikipedia actually gives two dates: "born either May 4, 1951 or April 4, 1955". The former is 1oo% more credible. Funny though to think that the guitarist of Mötley Crüe is almost 70.