The Dirt - Confissões do Mötley Crüe

For a film depicting some of the craziest people and moments in the history of rock and roll, it sure does play it safe. The Dirt is a pretty formulaic rock biopic about the notorious Motley Crue. As a fan of the band, I was definitely interested in seeing their debauchery detailed on film. While there is some fun to be had enjoying the music and craziness, the movie just doesn't go far enough in covering their absurd exploits. There's too much condensed into too small of a window. Machine Gun Kelly is perfectly cast as Tommy Lee and the rest of the cast is decent. I wish that the filmmakers put a little more effort into realistically showcasing the story of such an infamous band.

The Dirt. Oh what oh what could I say about The Dirt.

When I watched it for the first time, I thought this could be the greatest movie ever made. And that's really saying a lot in my book. The second time I watched it, I thought it is a mediocre movie at best.

I really enjoy rock star movies. There are far too many of them, but this one is really fun. I guess Motley Crue was a crazy party band back in the day, and this film builds on that and goes in all directions. It's an unpredictable movie. And Machine Gun Kelly is EXCELLENT as Tommy Lee.

I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND you watching this movie. Go watch it. Now. Stop reading. GO. NOW!

7 stars

Biopics revolving around classic bands have definitely become a fad these days, even though they have been around for decades. The Dirt is the latest in the long line of musical biopics and this time it's hitting Netflix. As Mötley Crüe isn't exactly one of the greatest bands of all time to many people, their music has absolutely resonated with many listeners. Not knowing anything about the lives of these four men before going in, I'm pleasantly surprised that this story had a lot more to offer than the average biopic. Still, it does follow the tired formula, but that's okay, because it's done quite well here.

Following Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, and Mick Mars as they form an unlikely group of misfits, this band quickly shoots to superstardom, which ultimately leads to a life of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. This premise has been done to death through the years, so the only thing to truly keep you interested in movies like this is the content itself. From car accidents to overdosing, this is a film that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Sadly, the material presented throughout the majority of the film is quite unlikeable, to say the least.

You can't help but be disgusted by the actions of most of these men, but the music and shocking turn of events is why you watch movies like this, so for that reason, it all blends together quite well. Still, many viewers will be turned off by this film in the first five minutes, guaranteed. If you're in for a wild ride with sometimes disturbing imagery, bordering on pornography or actual footage of heroin overdosing, then I think you'll enjoy the movie for what it is. When watching this film, it became clear to me why this film never hit theatres, but that's not because it was bad by any means.

Although Vince (the lead singer) is played up as the most unlikeable character throughout the majority of the film, Daniel Webber gave a terrific performance. I would love to see his career explode more than it already has, because I believe he has some real dramatic talent, just waiting to be showcased. On top of that, Iran Rheon is the most likeable actor here and Douglas Booth as Nikki Sixx was great as well. Surprisingly, the breakout performance here is actually from Machine Gun Kelly (Colson Baker). I never would have expected that, but his devotion to this character was a joy to watch.

In the end, The Dirt is absolutely defined by its title, because this is a film that showcases the grit and griminess of the rock n' roll underworld. That aspect alone will turn viewers off, but it's a very well-made movie nonetheless. This is by no means one of the better biopics out there, but it's an enjoy film and better than a lot of the content Netflix has been making, in terms of feature films. To fans of Mötley Crüe or fans of a good biopic in general, I would recommend checking this one out. It's fairly standard fare with some surprisingly elements throughout.

I know some die-hard fans are gonna whine about how not everything in the movie was accurate but hey, neither was Bohemian Rhapsody (.. and look how well that went!). If you want historic accuracy, read a book. The Dirt was an ENTERTAINING two hours and hell, I enjoyed it even though I'm not the biggest fan of the Crüe. And would watch it again.

I've watched it twice already and I can see this will be a movie I can rewatch a bunch n still enjoy. Do I wish it was longer? Yes. Do I wish they included 'Wildside" on the soundtrack? Yes. Will I buy this on blue ray when released?? Absolutely!!! - if you've read the book it will of course make the movie better (as they left many parts of the book out for better or worse) but I watched with some friends who didn't read the book (n aren't Crüe fans to the extent that I am) and they loved it. People will likely nip pick it to shreds but it was so fun and dark and sad and heavy - a little music lite for me in that I wish they featured so many more of their songs but the movie was really great and I'm glad they did this movie with reverence as it could have so easily been campy and cheesy and it's wasn't at all to me - I LOVED IT!!