The Nitty Gritty
While “The Dirt” didn’t make Rayna want to turn up “Kickstart My Heart” any louder, she still recommends giving it a try.
April 17, 2019
One of Netflix’s newest originals, “The Dirt,” based off the autobiography, “The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band,” covers the raging stories of the infamous eighties hair metal band, Motley Crue. While watching, viewers will definitely remain entertained, whether they’re a Crue Head or not. However, some parts of the movie seemed to offer a watered-down version of the infamous cliche, “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.”
As one of the largely influential predecessors of the glam metal era, Motley Crue came to fame after the release of their first album, “Too Fast for Love,” in November of 1981. Nearly everything that came after was nothing short of movie-worthy.
So why did the reviews come flooding in, nearly every one harsh and critical, bashing the movie for numerous reasons?
Simply put, it did not have the same “wow” factor that the band had. Personally, that is my one and only complaint. Motley Crue was infamous for their excessive lifestyle. Everything they did was extreme. They were young and wild artists, right on the brink of a breakthrough in rock and roll history. They were exciting and everyone knew it.
A line from the movie summed up their almost humorous principles surprisingly well: “They weren’t like other bands who raised hell because they thought that’s what rock stars were supposed to do. Motley Crue did stupid things because they were Motley Crue.” (Doc McGhee, Crue’s manager).
The stories told in their autobiography were unbelievable. A good portion of them far too inappropriate to discuss on a high school website. From the movie, I wanted more scenes that made my jaw drop and my eyes widen.
Now, I am not just asking for a few more party scenes here and there because believe me, that aspect is well represented. There was an element of intensity that I think was lacking in the movie. The trials and downward spirals that the band went through were unimaginable. Yes, they were included in the movie, I just wish the scenes went deeper and had more raw emotion. That is all it comes down to really; I simply just wanted more of everything.
On the other hand, a handful of the scenes captured the essence beautifully. The recreation of certain videos and performances from the band were incredible. The acting and the character portrayal was excellent and obviously the plot line was even and intriguing.
It just didn’t resonate in my bones when the credits rolled. It didn’t make me want to blast “Kickstart My Heart” through my speakers any more than I do on any other day.
Now, all of this aside, it was not a bad movie in any sense. Sometimes it is easy to forget that movies have time limits and it is ridiculous to assume that any director can fit the entire life story of four different guys into one, hour and a half biopic. I would still recommend the movie, without a doubt. And don’t worry, they definitely still have the looks that kill.
The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the GENESIS staff. Email Rayna Minix at [email protected] .