Film Review: The Dirt

Based on the autobiography of the same name by band members of Mötley Crüe – Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx – as well as author, Neil Strauss, The Dirt follows the highs and lows of the band, and it does so in the manner you’re probably familiar with. Like Bohemian Rhapsody last year, the film follows a fairly rigid formula that chronicles all the most iconic moments and hijinks that the band members have gotten into, as well as the struggles they’ve dealt with in their personal lives.

While I haven’t read the book this is based on, the reputation of it implies a level of shock value that the film doesn’t really have. It’s fairly tame, aside from a couple gross out moments where the director, Jeff Tremaine, brings a wild energy that made his work with the Jackass shows and movies so much fun to watch. The hijinks are not a huge focus, shown mostly through montage during the band’s early years. Once it does into darker subject matter, the irreverence screeches to a halt, and the film seems to force itself to become more dignified and respectful as a result.

Stylistically, it has a gritty look that works well for its many sleazy settings. However, there’s a lot of inconsistency in the filmmaker’s many attempts to bring something fresh to the formula. One of which is the use of fourth wall breaking, a tool that first comes in at around the half-hour point when the film had only previously used voice over narration from the various band members. It then uses the fourth wall breaking for a few extended gags for maybe ten to fifteen minutes, and it never uses it again except for two very brief occasions in the second half of the film. Not much else is done to give the film a distinct look or vibe to distinguish it from other movies like this.

The film is adapted by Tom Kapinos and Amanda Adelson, and I can definitely give them credit for not shying away from the gnarly, self-destructive habits that these guys went through. However, it becomes really clear really fast that there just isn’t much of a story here. It’s just another Here’s Some Crazy Stuff These Guys Went Through: The Movie with characters that are introduced with an implication of greater significance only to disappear after a few scenes. The book might feature more nuance, but that nuance is mostly gone here, only shown in the briefest of moments in the final act. We don’t get to dig too deep into these characters, and most of them come across as somewhat flat as a result. One moment that perfectly encapsulates this problem is when the band reaches a low point, and they collectively agree to go to rehab, and a voice over comes up saying, “You wanna know what rehab was really like? Feelings and crying and apologies. This is my second time. Trust me, it’s a drag. You don’t wanna see any of that shit.” And then it cuts to some time later, when they’re back at the studio, having grown and changed off-screen when I would’ve preferred to see it.

I do like the performances. Machine Gun Kelly plays drummer, Tommy Lee, Douglas Booth is bassist, Nikki Sixx, Daniel Webber plays the singer, Vince Neil, and Iwan Rheon plays the older guitarist, Mick Mars. Everyone is rock solid here, and often bring some level of resonance to material that seems very thin on paper. The film demands more of Webber, especially, in the second half when Neil goes through some family tragedy that ends up working much better than I anticipated. Though, I do want to give a big shout out to Tony Cavalero, who pulls off an astonishingly convincing Ozzy Osbourne in one of the more nastier scenes in the film.

This review probably sounds super harsh, but I do want to point out that I did have some fun here. It’s just entertaining enough, and it moves at a rapid pace, so before I could totally process some of my issues, the movie was over. There is an admirable attempt to bring some poignancy to the journey that these guys went through, and the performances capture that raw energy and honesty that the film is going for. However, it’s very inconsistent on several levels, and it falls back on the formula far too many times when it could’ve tried more to carve its own path, much like how the band did. I don’t know if big fans of the band will find much here that they don’t already know, but it could be cool to see the insanity dramatized, and if you aren’t familiar with them, this could be a fun story about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. At the very least, the music is good.