The Dirt

The Dirt
Four out of Five Stars
Netflix’s new Mötley Crüe biopic “The Dirt” is definitely not for everyone. Scenes of partying
are taken to disgusting excess, few women are given a name and none are granted a personality,
and there is a gross sense of indulgence in the band’s truly terrible behavior. But for those who
want to hear the fascinating and (mostly) true story of four men who created great music while
dedicating their lives to behaving as badly as possible, “The Dirt” is the movie for you. There is
something completely captivating about the story, drawing in the audience to witness the drama
presented in spectacular fashion.
The Dirt is by no means a great film. The cinematography is fairly basic, the editing dry, and the
structure fairly formulaic. Yet there is an odd honesty and earnestness to the over the top tale of
eighties excess. The stories are engaging, the cast is talented, and the music is awesome.
Douglas Booth is the standout of the cast as the anguished bassist Nikki Sixx. His charisma
draws in audiences, belying an aching vulnerability etched into his expressive eyes in every
frame. Booth has a magnetic charm that gives the audience a tacit permission to sympathize with
the character while acknowledging his flaws. Sixx’s infamous near fatal heroin overdose and its
aftermath is one of the most powerful moments in the movie, and Booth brings a brilliant nuance
to the complicated scene.
Colson Baker, known professionally as rapper Machine Gun Kelly, charms as the childlike
drummer Tommy Lee. He strikes an ideal balance between a man who giddily ran around a hotel
naked with the police in tow and one who punched his fiancée when she insulted his mother. The
puerile innocence contrasted with the disaffected angst and rage is a difficult line to walk, and
Baker handles it with a grace and dexterity of a far more seasoned actor.
Daniel Webber is incredibly effective as front man and lead singer Vince Neil. Neil has some of
the most emotional moments in the film, from the death of his four-year-old daughter to the car
crash that kills a close friend, and Webber deftly displays palpable sorrow and a strong desire to
be good. Webber also proves a great performer in the concert scenes, nailing the movements and
presence that helped make Mötley Crüe concerts such a great experience.
Iwan Rheon takes a step from torturing people on “Game of Thrones” as Ramsay Bolton to
portray the band’s gruff, older guitarist Mick Mars. Mars comes off by far the best in the film,
commenting on not partaking in the debauchery of the rest of the group due to a respect for
women. His main story focuses on his health struggles with a degenerative spine condition, and
his desire to play in one great band before he can no longer walk. Rheon shows spectacular range
in this role, a far cry from the innocence of Ash on “Vicious” or the sadism of Ramsay Bolton on
“Thrones.”
The Dirt has no qualms about portraying its protagonists as the entitled, self indulgent, terrible
people that they probably were. However, despite their inherent lack of likeability, there’s
something oddly endearing, human, sympathetic, and, at times, even likable about them. Viewers
cannot help but sympathize when Vince tries to turn his life around after the car crash that killed
his friend Razzle, before ultimately relapsing into the same destructive behavior that got him
there in the first place. Tommy Lee’s loving parents and childlike nature make the tragedy of his
ultimate fall into debauchery and destruction all the more heartbreaking, since he could have had
a normal life, where he not following the example of Nikki Sixx.
The film makes a fascinating comparison between Nikki and Tommy. Nikki gets involved in
increasingly dangerous drugs, ultimately leading to a debilitating heroin addiction, due to the
emptiness in his life. And abusive mother, absentee father, and string of cruel step fathers gave
the young bassist such pain that he tried to drown out with meaningless sex and drugs. Tommy
merely follows in Nikki’s footsteps, sleeping around, snorting any and everything, and generally
throwing away his chance at a normal, well-adjusted future.
Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee are portrayed as opposites or complements in almost every way.
Probably the two best developed female characters were the mother of Nikki and Tommy. The
mothers serve as contrasts a similar manner to the comparison between Nikki and Tommy.
Tommy his mother loves him unconditionally, flying out to his concerts, providing him the
support, affection, and love that are expected of a mother. Nikki had no such relationship with
his mother. Emotionally abusive, Nikki’s mom suggested him to the crawl whims of a revolving
door of stepfather’s, all the while blaming him for everything that went wrong in her life. It’s a
prize is no viewer when Nikki turned his anguish and pain into range, drug use, and emptiness.
In what maybe one of the most powerful moments of the film, Nikki describes falling in love for
the first time with something that gave him the acceptance, love, and warmth he never got from
his mother. He fell in love with heroin. The almost monotone, robotic tone of Douglas Booth’s
voice in some of his narration paired with anguish and dad and all other moments is palpable
throughout. Booth please and if he has a man who is running from his past, searching desperately
for meaning, for acceptance, but love from anything or anyone, and he ultimately can only find
this piece in drugs, which ultimately destroy him even more. That is not to say that The dirt reads
like a preachy after school special focusing on the dangers of drugs, this is a film that marks just
say no then it’s first two minutes. However watching Nikki Sixx and destroy his life over and
over again do you do with emptiness provides the film with a pathos and a heart that is surprising
amidst shots of Ozzy Osbourne snorting ants and drinking his own urine.
“The Dirt” is not going to be a critical darling, nor will it be remembered as a cinematic
masterpiece. However, if you’re looking for a crazy but true story, told by a fantastic cast and
supplemented by great music, stream this film on Netflix immediately for an incredibly fun two
hours.

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The Dirt

Four out of Five Stars

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