Back in The 1980’s four men founded a heavy metal band called, “Mötley Crüe,” led by frontman, Vince Neil, Nicki Sixx on bass, Mick Mars on guitar & last but not least, Tommy Lee on drums. Over the years, the band became known for their over-the-top live concerts, flamboyant outfits reflecting their frantic lifestyle, hosting wild parties among many other things. Their well known songs are “Dr. Feelgood,” “Shout At The Devil,” “Wild Side,” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Kickstart My Heart” & my personal favorite “Home Sweet Home.”
In 2001, an autobiography titled, “The Dirt: Confessions Of The World’s Most Notorious Band” published in book stores written by the actual band members which centers around their early years & personal lives as it explores the ups & downs during MTV’s golden age as well as their later careers. The book earned good reviews from critics & fans of Mötley Crüe. Five Years Later, Paramount Pictures & MTV Films bought the film rights to “The Dirt” until production stopped due to Nikki Sixx complaining about MTV no longer relevant as it was in The 80’s & 90’s. In 2017 however, Netflix eventually bought the film rights to adapt The Dirt. Nikki Sixx alongside the rest of the band approved the streaming giant.
The Dirt officially streamed on Netflix in 2019. It received mixed reviews from critics.
The reason why I wanted to review The Dirt, is because it takes place mostly in The 80’s set in Hollywood. Netflix released a trailer for the upcoming third season for “Stranger Things” with the song, Home Sweet Home playing in the background & Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” takes place in Hollywood just like The Dirt. Both Stranger Things & Quentin’s ninth film are slated to come out in July, which is my birthday month.
For those who grew up in The 80’s and are fully aware of the band’s history, I’ll give anybody a chance to read my article, because this review contains no SPOILERS whatsoever.
Good & Bad Elements
Good: Douglas Booth, Machine Gun Kelly, (credited by his real name Coulson Baker) Daniel Webber & Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton from Game Of Thrones) all did a fantastic job for their respective performances.
Other Cast Members such as Pete Davidson & David Costabile (Gale Boetticher from Breaking Bad) also did a fantastic job for their respective performances.
Jeff Tremaine (MTV’s Jackass) did an amazing job directing the biopic.
Real Life members of Mötley Crüe served as executive producers to make sure certain aspects from their life story is as accurate as possible.
Cinematography didn’t used way too much Shaky Cam. The way the film was shot gives it a documentary like perspective of the four members addressing talkin’ to the camera as in “The Office.”
Costume Designs from the band’s early peak, is retained to reflect its over-the-top both on & offstage antics.
The band’s music is played in various scenes.
Although a biopic, the film has elements of humor taken from each band members’ mannerisms.
The film primarily takes place in The 80’s & 90’s.
Members of the band addressed a Hollywoodized depiction of the titular autobiography.
Besides the band’s music career, the biopic also explores their personal lives. I can’t tell you about each of their backstories if you’re not aware of their own individual background.
Familiar famous faces are depicted but not played by real life counterparts.
The first scene shows you the depiction of the band as party animals, indicating what you’re about to see contains booze, (drink responsibly) drugs, (seriously don’t do drugs) naked women (and men equally) & chaos. If I were you, don’t let your kids watch this with you.
Nikki Sixx had an actual name since childhood.
As of 2019, the film ends what the band’s been up to recently.
The End Credits features actual photos and footage of the band recreating pivotal moments.
Bad: I couldn’t find nothing wrong with this biopic. I will give it an Extra Point for The Cast & Crew making a flawless film as possible.
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
All I can say is, The Dirt is shockingly a decent biopic. All the things listed in the positive section including performances, direction, narrative, time period from both 80’s & 90’s among a few other details, indicate why this autobiography is probably one of the best produced Netflix films in recent years. If you’re a fan of heavy metal, I strongly recommend The Dirt. Trust me, it’s worth your spare time.
As of March 2019, The Dirt is instantly one of my favorite films of 2019 next to “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.” This is all just a warm up before many films come out later this year.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 