'The Dirt' - Movie Review

Written By Allyson B. Crawford

It's early days since The Dirt was just released on Netflix. I don't want to ruin it for anyone so I will try to be cautious and not post spoilers. And quite frankly, you already know the story and what happened if you've read the book (which you absolutely must!)

First things first: there was tons of criticism online in advance of the film about the casting. Many said the men selected to play the members of Motley Crue "didn't even look like them." Well, this is true but it becomes more believable as the show goes on. Eventually you just forget about it. 

This movie is not for children. Just like The Dirt is an adult-only book, this is a movie for those over 18. Heck, maybe over 35. There's tons of nudity and sex and drugs. I mean, it's Motley Crue. But really, a ton of sex.

Yes, all the wildest parts of The Dirt are covered. At one point, Eric turned to me and said "Wait, did this really happen?" And I would nod and say, "Yep." I got texts from two different people last night, asking me the same thing. The Crue were degenerates, what can I say?

A few things are wrong for no reason. Why have Vince driving a Corvette on that fateful night with Razzle? His real car that night was a Pantera. And Skylar Neil was born in 1991. Not so in the movie. Sharise, Vince's wife, is pregnant with her the night of the Razzle crash. Sharise and Vince didn't even get married until 1987. 

Some stuff is glossed over and time is sped up, which probably explains the Skylar issue.

Of course Nikki's heroin addiction is addressed but probably not as fully or as painfully as it should have been. Mercifully, Pam Anderson doesn't make an appearance anywhere in the film. Mick Mars is an alien and we all love him. No, the actor Iwan Rheon doesn't look like Mick, but he does a good job portraying the coolest, wisest member of the band. Machine Gun Kelly has the mannerisms of Tommy Lee down cold. Douglas Booth had to ditch his British accent to play Nikki Sixx and he did a good job. It was a heavy lift, playing the star and leader of the band and also the biggest jerk most of the time. Daniel Webber portrays Vince Neil. He must have done a good job because I felt sorry for Vince all over again for just about... everything. Some souls are just tortured. Or maybe Vince is just a mess. 


Buy 'The Dirt' Soundtrack Here


In the end, the movie was at once cringeworthy and fun. We waited so long for this film and I was honestly nervous to watch. I was worried it wouldn't live up to expectations, but I have to say it exceeded mine. I knew it wouldn't be 100% true to the book because that's nearly impossible. But man it was darn close and it was fun reliving the history and music all over again.

It's 3 stars for me. Not the best movie I've ever seen but certainly one of my most anticipated. I also knew exactly what to expect and nothing much shocks me.

After I watched, I looked up some fancy reviews in big publications. My thing is this: if you haven't read the book or don't know the music or even have any idea about the Crue, how can you appreciate this biopic?


The New York Times hated the film.


Vulture didn't like it much either.


The Atlantic didn't like it either.

 

Allyson B. Crawford
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