“The Dirt” Movie Review

    Over the past few years, biopics centering around influential musical artists have been all the rage.  There have been several excellent films detailing the struggles and pitfalls musicians go through during their rise to fame.  Perhaps one of the most interesting bands who could receive a movie is that of Mötley Crüe and thanks to “The Dirt”, they finally have their story told in a film.  Unlike some other recent biopics, “The Dirt” was met with negative reviews but I always keep an open mind because some of my favorite movies have been slammed by professional critics.

    The film tells the origins of the band Mötley Crüe primarily through the eyes of band member Nikki Sixx.  Sixx was able to free himself from an abusive childhood and reinvent himself through music.  Sixx recruits drummer Tommy Lee (though Lee sort of recruits himself) and the pair seek out the musicians who will complete their newly formed band.  Mick Mars auditions as the guitarist and the pair immediately recognize he has the musical style they are looking for.  Lastly, the trio convene Vince Neil to become their lead vocalist and Mötley Crüe was born.  Each member experiences ups and downs but the film mainly focuses on the effect fame had on Nikki Sixx.

    I think I should start by stating I am not a  fan of Mötley Crüe.  I do not hate the group, but I never got into them.  I was interested in this biopic regardless and some of my favorite biopics involve figures I am not a fan of.  It is hard to ignore the cultural impact Mötley Crüe had on popular culture.  They were the bad boys of rock both on and off stage.  I was eager to see how this film would approach their rocky and controversial career.

    “The Dirt” was based on the novel “The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band” written by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss.  Unfortunately this movie seems to almost glorify the group’s misbehavior rather than detailing how their actions had a negative effect on their careers and personal lives.  The glorification of bad deeds is what separates this movie from films like “Rocketman” or “Bohemian Rhapsody” where a deeper meaning was realized by the musicians.  Sometimes seeing men behave badly can be fun to watch, but it also makes for a shallow movie going experience.

    The film itself was a bit all over the place.  There are elements of the movie that you could tell they spared no expense and felt very cinematic.  Then something silly like a wig or set dressing looked very cheap and caused the film to feel like a made for television movie.  It makes for a very bizarre viewing experience overall.

    Perhaps no element of “The Dirt” varies more than the acting.  Most of the cast deliver respectable performances and I would go as far to say that Iwan Rheon delivered a great and memorable performance.  This brings me to the subject of Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelly as Tommy Lee and my dislike of his performance.  Now, I think Baker has some potential as an actor but I just didn’t think he meshed well with the rest of the cast.  I don’t think Baker gave the worst performance in the film however, that dishonor befalls Pete Davidson.  Davidson largely comes off uncharismatic and unlikable.  I haven’t seen his work on “Saturday Night Live” but I very much hope he has more personality on that show.

    While I didn’t adore “The Dirt” (and the title certainly lends itself to negative reviews), it wasn’t horrible either and was somewhat of a mixed bag.  If you already have Netflix, it certainly isn’t the worst they have to offer and doesn’t cost anything else to watch.  I will say that I have a feeling you might enjoy this film better if you adore Mötley Crüe.  Sadly, I am not among their fanbase.

Grade: C

“Rocketman” Movie Review

    Another week, another trip to the cinema!  With so many good looking films out now, it’s been hard to decide what to see these past few weeks.  One movie my girlfriend and I really wanted to see was the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” so when our friends Elva and Roy wanted to see that movie as well, it was settled.

    The movie tells the story of Sir Elton John from his childhood to his rise to living legend status.  Born Reginald Dwight, the movie shows his upbringing in a broken home and how he felt responsible for his home life.  Reginald was born a musical prodigy and turned to music in his troubled times.  The film then swifts focus to Reginald as a young man struggling to make it as musician.  This all changes with his musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.  Their collaborations together helped create some of the most iconic music in the modern era as the movie goes on to depict.  There are plenty of dark times for Reginald, now known as Elton John, ahead however.  As his fame rises, Elton John is forced to hide the fact that he is homosexual from the press for fear of the damage it would do to his career and he also grows increasingly addicted to alcohol and drugs.

    I really enjoyed this movie overall.  One thing that caught me a little off guard at first and took a little getting used to was the fact that the movie was both a biopic and musical.  I was expecting a more straight forward biopic in the vain of “Bohemian Rhapsody” but this film managed to set itself apart from that film by telling it’s story in a different way.

    I am a big Elton John fan so I wanted to see this movie a little more than my girlfriend (although she enjoys some of his music as well).  I grew up listening to oldies as a kid and performers like The Beatles, Elton John, The Monkees, Queen, The Doors, The Rolling Stones and so on have a special place in my heart.  Naturally, the music that featured in this film was a highlight for me.

    One thing that worried me a bit going into the movie was the fact that Elton John himself was listed as an executive producer, which typically means, Elton John himself has to approve of how he is depicted in the movie.  People have a tendency to only want to highlight the best parts of their lives and omit aspects which may make them appear in a negative light.  After all, we are the heroes in our own stories.  Somewhat surprisingly, the film does a pretty admirable job painting a complete picture of Elton John.  There are times in the film in which Elton John comes off as a very sympathetic character and times in which he is depicted as sort of a jerk.  The thing is, it makes him feel like a real person because even the nicest person can be seen as rude or nasty to someone else and perhaps they have good reason to be.

    The film also doesn’t shy away from Sir Elton John’s personal struggles.  The film depicts Elton John as a man who turns to alcohol and drugs to cope with his depression.  His depression, at least as depicted in the film, is caused from his home life and having to live his life in the closet.  It wasn’t until he could accept his homosexuality and learn to love himself that he was able to free himself from addiction.  With June being LGBT pride month, this movie couldn’t have picked a better time to come out.  One struggle I thought Elton John might want downplayed in the film was his struggle writing lyrics.  Instead, much of the focus of the film was about his struggle admitting that he loved and needed Bernie Taupin in his professional and personal life.  The two are still good friends after all these years.

    What makes this film extra special is the cast.  Taron Egerton does a stellar job embodying Sir Elton John.  Egerton seems almost destined to play the role after singing one of Elton John’s songs in the movie “Sing” and co-starring with the icon himself in “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”.  Jamie Bell does a good job as Bernie Taupin (thankfully Bell is a better actor than he is a singer however).  “Game of Thrones” alumni Richard Madden plays against type as John Reid, the antagonistic manager of Elton John.  Fun little trivia for “Game of Thrones” fans, Aiden Gillen played John Reid in the film “Bohemian Rhapsody”.  Lastly worth a mention, Bryce Dallas Howard appears and does an incredible job as Elton John’s mother.

    It should be noted that Dexter Fletcher directed this film and a good chunk of “Bohemian Rhapsody” after Bryan Singer was fired from the project.  To some degree, the two movies feel a bit like they share the same universe (being biopics, I guess they do to some degree).  While some aspects feel very different than “Bohemian Rhapsody”, other visual styles feel very similar.

    In the end, “Rocketman” proved to be an interesting look inside the early life of Elton John.  Regardless if you enjoy his music or not, it makes for an interesting movie. “Rocketman” shows how a star is truly born and will keep your toes tapping.

Grade: A-