Although Disney+ is more accustomed to family programs, the platform offers the Hulu mini-series “Pam & Tommy,” which revisits the scandal of the 90s, when the sex tape between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee was released without their knowledge.
Pamela Anderson (Lily James), then star of Baywatch, and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan), drummer of the glam metal band Mötley Crüe, first had a whirlwind romance in Cancún. Then came a wedding four days after their first meeting, and a sex tape filmed during their honeymoon and released on the internet by Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen), a carpenter seeking revenge against the rocker (whose actions the series somewhat excuses).
Creating a series about the release of a sex tape required both imagination and daring, and Robert Siegel did it. He revisited the scandal that rocked this celebrity couple of the 90s. The first three episodes (there will be eight in total) are good and the quality is there. Lily James is unrecognizable disguised as Pamela Anderson, as is Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee (far more convincing than Machine Gun Kelly in The Dirt), and their looks are so well reproduced that it becomes disconcerting. The very “sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll” atmosphere is also well present and you almost feel like you’re there. Despite this sultry atmosphere, the series does not fail to make us laugh — we particularly think of the wacky scene where Tommy Lee talks to his penis. In short, it has all the elements to be good entertainment.
Photo: ©Hulu
However, while the series is undeniably filled with quality, it remains problematic. Announced as “the greatest love story ever sold”, it actually forgets the real nightmare in which this “love story” (in reality, this sex tape) plunged Pamela Anderson. Her career was greatly undermined, and she was continually humiliated, unlike the drummer, whose “sexual performance” was even praised. This catchy phrase also leaves a bitter taste when you know about the toxic relationship that bound them — Tommy Lee even spent six months in prison for domestic violence against the actress.
While the scandal then weakened Pamela Anderson at the time it broke out in 1995, the mini-series brings the event back to the forefront, against her will, as the main person involved reportedly did not give her consent for its production. It confronts the viewer with a real ethical and moral issue, especially in the era of Me Too, where women’s voices are gradually being heard, hers is once more silenced and her consent disregarded.
Photo: ©Hulu
The series is undeniably good entertainment and rather successful, sticking to cinematography, character writing, and the recreated 90s vibe. However, it treats a much more serious scandal too lightly. Knowing how much Pamela Anderson’s life was destroyed, one might wonder if, ultimately, “Pam & Tommy” isn’t just profiting off the misfortune of others.
Having seen only three out of eight episodes, we do not want to jump to conclusions too quickly, but we can’t help but think that the series could have taken a different turn right from the first episode.
