A huge thanks to Disney for sending me an early screener of a series I’ve been dying to binge-watch (not Baywatch) as I bring you my Pam & Tommy review.
Pam & Tommy Follows the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s relationship, going back to their whirlwind romance that started with them marrying after only knowing each other for 96 hours in 1995.
Set in the Wild West early days of the Internet, “Pam & Tommy” is based on the incredible true story of the Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) sex tape.
Stolen from the couple’s home by a disgruntled contractor (Seth Rogen), the video went from underground bootleg-VHS curiosity to full-blown global sensation when it hit the Web in 1997.
A love story, crime caper and cautionary tale rolled into one, the eight-part original limited series explores the intersection of privacy, technology and celebrity, tracing the origins of our current Reality TV Era to a stolen tape seen by millions but meant to have an audience of just two.
I had a ball writing this Pam & Tommy review!
You only need to read the Mötley Crüe book The Dirt to know what a handful the gang were and this series deep dives into the true story of the world’s first viral celebrity sex tape and how it changed the lives of stars Pamela Anderson and Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.
Seth Rogen plays the role of builder Rand Gauthier, a former adult film star who was working at Tommy’s house during a renovation. After claiming that Tommy owed him money for the work done on the property Rand took matters into his own hands after not getting paid and stole Tommy’s safe.
Inside that very safe were guns, a few expensive watches, money and a tape that would contain on it a very private intimate video between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.
Our story begins.
From plotting the break-in to highlighting just what a loose cannon Tommy Lee can be I wouldn’t be too surprised at just how close the Pam & Tommy portrayal would be to real life.
This absolute maniac that partied hard and lived for the moment. The definition of the rock star life and laying a path of destruction in his wake without care for consequence.
Sebastian Stan has absolutely dragged me to the dirt with his portrayal of Tommy Lee. The accuracy and sheer artistry with his make-up and Lily James’ Pamela look are absolutely stunning. I wouldn’t be surprised if an award was to head their way, it’s truly staggering.
Sebastian is Tommy. No more, no less. Just watching it you completely forget you’re watching an actor portray a rockstar and believe that you’re following Tommy on this real-life Cribs style opening episode.
Episode 1 focuses heavily on Rand’s character in the build-up to stealing the tape and we dive into his character at quite some length.
There are 8 episodes in this series all close to an hour-long, that’s quite a lengthy feature and in parts, during many of the episodes it’s clear where things could have easily been cut but I wouldn’t want this any other way.
I’m headfirst into every debaucherous second of this absolute riot of a show.
From hijacking tapes in mansions to Pam following Tommy to Cancun and then having a full-blown conversation with his penis about the aftermath of their night together.
Pam & Tommy goes all out, no holds barred. From sex scenes that would make any adult star blush to full-blown party scenes exploring the rock star life and the absolute craziness of it all, you’d think this was a parody.
Alas, it’s not and I’m all for it. The details expand the world around Pam and Tommy during the tape leak and the casting is spot on, this isn’t just a television show this is the definition of perfection when it comes to casting, makeup, acting and true-to-life portrayal.
Granted not every single tooth-combed detail will be accurate to real life but we’re fully invested in this dumbassery and balls to the wall mayhem of laughter, sex, drugs and rock & roll.
I’m so glad they didn’t condense all of this down into a movie, it’s an investment of time but by the time one episode ends you’re aching to find out what the next crazy twist in this tale is going to be. These two people are magnetically attracted to one another and whilst communication between them is minimal they’re lost in a world of fuck. Like two feral soulmates rustling between the sheets of a fancy hotel room without a word spoken. It’s incredible.
Rogen absolutely nails it (no pun intended with his character being a former adult star) and the show is long enough to give everyone screen time and for the layers and character development to progress naturally. Whilst some character arcs deep dive into details that we as an audience don’t care about you can’t dismiss the detail the filmmakers have into here when exploring characters.
The fact that something like this is on Disney+ is hilarious but that’s why they added Star so they could add things like this to their ever-growing catalogue of non-child-friendly content.
DO NOT let your younger children see this, there’s nudity on top of nudity and once you’ve seen Sebastian Stan speaking to his CGI penis… well.. there’s no going back here.
Lily James is certainly not an actress to shy away from nude scenes so expect to see her without clothes more often than not.
Dragging this over 8 episodes was a conscious decision and I’m ever so glad they did. From little winks and nods such as motorbike roars in the opening episode that sound like the intro to ‘Kickstart My Heart’ to the attention to detail when Pam is dealing with life after Baywatch, this is certainly a show worth your time to appreciate the effort, the filmmakers have put into this.
Have a rocking time and check out Pam & Tommy on Disney Plus on February 2nd!
Pam & Tommy Review by Sean Evans
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Our Rating
Summary
A deep-dive into characters and 8 hours of pure unadulterated kick ass and absolutely absurd levels of fun. Kick back relax and bask in the mayhem, comedy and sheer brilliance of this tounge-in-cheek biopic series. I loved ever debaucherous second!
