Pam and Tommy go viral… again
OF course Kate Garraway was
always going to be softer than Piers Morgan in the Life Stories hot seat – he was like a rottweiler in interviews. But perhaps her chat with footballing legend John Barnes on ITV on Thursday was a bit too safe?
With Kate clutching a ring binder, it reminded me of This Is Your Life, which tended to whizz through highlights and lowlights with benign charm.
She did quiz John on every subject, from his affair to racism and the Hillsborough disaster – but we were missing an uncomfortable or tearful moment. Unless you count viewer trauma at hearing that England World Cup rap again.
But Kate is an absolute pro and this changing of the guard is still a
welcome refresh.
FROM the platinum wig to the huge fake boobs and animatronic talking penis (yes, really), Pam & Tommy is about as modest as a
racy Baywatch swimsuit.
The slightly barmy Disney+ series tells the real-life story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s honeymoon sex tape, which went viral after being stolen in 1995.
It’s a retelling of a headline shocker moment dragged out over eight 45minute episodes, packed with sex, porn and the occasional pretence of depth – of which there is none.
Lily James, best known for sweet roles like Cinderella, plays the Baywatch star, clearly determined to cast aside cutesy typecasting as dramatically as possible.
It reminded me of when Daniel Radcliffe burst forth from Harry Potter into full-frontal theatre.
She succeeds. Her transformation into
Pam is possibly the most compelling part of the show. Fake DD chestpiece, fake hair, fake eyelashes, coy and seductive – she has Pammy down to a tee.
We first glimpse her crawling on the kitchen floor picking up ice in nothing but a thong and skimpy T-shirt.
Sebastian Stan, previously best known as Marvel’s Bucky Barnes, plays Motley Crue drummer Tommy.
Whirlwind
He is clearly having a blast as the tattooed, nipple-pierced, drinking, drugtaking bully, who also spends most of the time in a thong, brandishing a gun.
He’s obnoxious, screaming at his builder Rand Gaulthier, played by Seth Rogan, that he wants a futuristic “love pad 2000”, with stripper pole, Chinese swing, open shower, retractable mirrors and a waterbed. He has a vision. But Rand’s vision is to get revenge.
Rogan, with excellent 80s porn star hairdo, gives a sympathetic performance as the wronged, downtrodden builder, who goes on to steal the couple’s safe.
The plot flashes back and forth between Pam and Tommy’s first meeting, through to their whirlwind wedding after four days, the sex-tape release and aftermath.
From the pillow fights and sex in the bath, through to cartoony stereotypes and levered-in “deep” moments, it’s a lot of fun, but with not a lot to say.
One scene, where Tommy has a heartto-heart with his penis – which actually turns around and talks back – is so ridiculous that we can’t possibly be expected to appreciate this moment of sincerity.
The charismatic cast, including Nick Offerman as a porn producer and Taylor Schilling as Rand’s ex wife, saves this show, which is best when it’s being funny.
For attempted insight into issues like privacy and celebrity, it falls short – but be sure to tune in for a hedonistic thrill ride like no other.