The Dirt

Jason

Discerning reader that I pride myself being, I had no inkling of an intention of reading THE DIRT when it came out until someone I respect highly insisted that I do. And I loved it. It was a salmagundi, its form almost accidentally remarkable, plus it showcased very raw hubris, absolutely bizarre braggadocio. The movie adopts a stale aesthetic and is neutered by convention in every respect. Crass in its tameness.

dave gunn

Whereas Bohemian Rhapsody omitted a lotta grime for that PG-13 rating and thus gave us a blockbuster too polished to be meaningful, The Dirt does the exact opposite, riding almost entirely on the novelty of the band’s mythical hedonism and thus giving us a lowbrow and hollow depiction of rock stars as actual human beings. It’s a band biopic fellating itself.

Thomas

Shallow but mildly diverting. Crüe have always seemed to me like a collection of cartoon characters. I would have thought, though, a band of such influence/notoriety would have warranted a deeper and more respectful approach. This seemed to sit on the fence between documentary and high-jinks.

Laura G.

It was entertaining, that's all. But anyway I grew up on their music, even if they weren't from my time. Still remember having their picture on my school books with tape right next to Guns n' Roses. Ah, good times.

I.Camera

A crappy Netflix film about a crappy band, though it maintains a pretense that Motley Crue's generic hair metal was groundbreaking material. The vision of rock success it ascribes to is juvenile, and the authorised script skips over the book's more controversial revelations (rape, domestic abuse). The acting is decent, esp. Baker as the dopey Tommy Lee and Rheon as the perpetually 'too old for this shit' Mick Mars.

Graham Ball

2.5 stars... just! In some ways this is a lot better than it has any right to be. I really struggle with biopics in general and especially one when I am so well versed in the actual subject. I love The Crue (grew up on them, seen them live), but this just has the feel of a real unnecessary film. It's not awful, but their history is probably best preserved in rock-folklore and in the pages of their memoir. Sorry guys.

Daniel Iván

Quite a totally misused opportunity. Everything about this movie sucks, every minute a waste of time. As a full crüehead, I am really amazed the band went along with this trivialized version of themselves. I know: the subject matter wasn't an intellectual opportunity, but at least the underlined cautionary tale could have been treated with respect. And what's C.C. Deville doing in a biopic of Mötley Crüe? Sad film.

FCC 86

"Don't ever leave your girlfriend alone with Mötley Crüe"