Pam & Tommy review: a lot of fun, but nothing much to say
The human drama is rather ‘overwhelmed by the story’s sheer salaciousness’
The leaking of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape was “one of the defining celebrity scandals of the 90s”, said Ed Power in The Daily Telegraph. “It had everything: bare flesh, rock ‘n’ roll and naked voyeurism”. So it should make for a fine TV dramatisation.
But while the Baywatch star and her Mötley Crüe drummer husband are brought “rollickingly to life” by Lily James and Sebastian Stan in this eight-part series, on Disney+, the human drama is rather “overwhelmed by the story’s sheer salaciousness”.
The series is really “three narratives plaited together”, said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian. One is a heist caper, about the contractor (Seth Rogen) who stole and then leaked the tape. The second strand delves into what Anderson and Lee found in each other – “beyond, yes, the obvious”. The third is a critique of the “media machinations, public appetite and systemic biases” that enabled events to unfold as they did.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Anderson was brutally treated, and it is good to see the scandal being reappraised in line with our more enlightened times; but this is undermined by the fact that the series was made without her approval.
If you are hoping to get a sense of how Anderson felt when her sex tape was leaked to the world, “you might be disappointed”, said Camilla Long in The Sunday Times. “This show couldn’t be further from feminist polemic – it’s all about the camera playfully riding over Pammy’s curves.” The series really has nothing very interesting to say; but it is “a lot of fun to watch”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Puppet shows, pagodas and pho: a guide to Hanoi
The Week Recommends Vietnam's capital city blends the ancient with the new
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'There are benefits, but not acknowledging them would tell only half of the story'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Juror #2: Clint Eastwood's 'cleverly constructed' courtroom drama is 'rock solid'
The Week Recommends Nicholas Hoult stars in 'morally complex' film about a juror on a high-profile murder case
By The Week UK Published
-
Explore a timeless corner of Spain by bike
The Week Recommends Take a 'dawdling route through the back-country' far from the tourism hotspots
By The Week UK Published
-
Saoirse Ronan: how the actress went viral
In the Spotlight The actress dropped a 'chat-icide bomb' on Graham Norton's BBC show
By The Week UK Published
-
Edmund de Waal on this year's Booker Prize shortlist
The Week Recommends The chair of judges details works by Rachel Kushner, Percival Everett and others
By The Week UK Published
-
Griddled salmon and vegetables with miso and melted butter recipe
The Week Recommends Hokkaido comfort food classic with a delicious twist
By The Week UK Published
-
Shattered: Hanif Kureishi's 'inspirational' memoir of accident that left him paralysed
The Week Recommends 'Exhilarating' book is composed of diary entries dictated to his son Carlo
By The Week UK Published
-
Dr. Strangelove: is stage adaptation of iconic film a 'foolish' move?
Talking Point Steve Coogan puts on a dazzling performance in show that falls short of 'the real thing'
By The Week UK Published
-
Small Things Like These: 'stylish' Irish drama 'casts a powerful spell'
The Week Recommends 'Stylish' drama starring Cillian Murphy as a devoted father
By The Week UK Published