Hulu’s limited series Pam & Tommy examines the impact a stolen sex tape had on not just the personal lives of the tape’s subjects – model/actress Pamela Anderson and Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee – but also how the unauthorized release of their private moments affected the course of Pamela Anderson’s career. Adapted from a 2014 Rolling Stone article by Amanda Chicago Lewis and unfolding over eight riveting episodes, Pam & Tommy is the redemption story Anderson deserves given the horrific treatment she received at the hands of the judicial system and the media.
This wild and incredibly entertaining tale of the world’s first celebrity sex tape to hit the internet is filled with so many bizarre moments that the pause button gets a good workout to allow quick online fact-checking. Did Pamela Anderson (played by Lily James, Baby Driver) and Tommy Lee (played by Sebastian Stan, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) really marry after just 96 hours? Yes, they did. Did Tommy Lee really carry on a lengthy conversation with his talking penis? According to his memoir, he did. It’s also true that neither Pamela Anderson nor Tommy Lee ever intended for their private sex tape to be watched by strangers the world over. They didn’t leak the tape, although odds are most people assume they did for either publicity or financial gain.
The limited series’ third key player is the man responsible for putting Anderson and Lee…mostly Anderson…through hell. Seth Rogen plays Rand Gauthier, a contractor who plots revenge on Tommy Lee after the rocker fires him from a remodeling job at his mansion and adds insult to injury by refusing to pay for the work he’s completed. Rand leaves without taking his tools and when he returns to retrieve them, Tommy waves a shotgun in his face and orders him off the property without his tools.
Speaking of tools, Rand isn’t the sharpest one in the shed. Although he comes across as a good-natured rube, he latches onto the idea of getting even for the offense caused by Tommy Lee and won’t let it go. After stalking Tommy and Pamela for days and noting their movements in a journal, he devises an incredibly strange plan to get what he believes he’s owed. His ludicrous plan involves disguising himself as a dog, stealing a safe from Tommy’s garage, and escaping in a U-Haul. (And yes, Pam & Tommy’s depiction follows the real Gauthier’s recollection of events.)
The private sex tape shot by Tommy is, unfortunately, among the items inside the safe. Rand’s apparently dabbled in the porn industry and uses his contacts to figure out a way to make money off of this stolen video. He basically stumbles onto the idea of putting the video onto the internet, which was just in its infancy in the mid-90s when the theft occurred. (Remember when connecting to the internet involved dial-up modems that made funky sounds while logging on? Those were the days, am I right?)
Millions viewed the tape and Pamela Anderson attempted to fight back to no avail. The unauthorized release of the sex tape wreaked havoc on the couple’s personal lives and caused Anderson’s acting opportunities to plummet and her career to pretty much flatline.
Sebastian Stan is terrific as a rocker on the downside of his career, but it’s Lily James who steals the spotlight throughout Pam & Tommy. James disappears into character with help from the extraordinary hair and makeup team. So complete is her transformation that there’s never a single instance in the eight episodes in which James the actress is not fully Pamela Anderson. James’ performance is passionate and nuanced, and the awards buzz is well-deserved.
Best known for playing Lady Rose MacClare on the critically acclaimed Downton Abbey, James’ stunning transformation and complete commitment to being Pamela Anderson is her best work to date.
I may have caught an episode or two of Baywatch over the years, but never deliberately tuned into the series. I’ve also never been a fan of Motley Crue. Honestly, I’d put my interest in learning anything about either Pamela Anderson or Tommy Lee at right around zero prior to Pam & Tommy. It’s still close to zero for Lee who comes off as an entitled jerk for most of the eight episodes. However, Pamela Anderson emerges from this series as a truly impressive – and surprisingly fierce – feminist.
Of course artistic license was taken in bringing the sordid tale of their stolen sex video to life. Yet much of what plays out over the course of the limited series is lifted from true events. If even half of what’s portrayed is actually real, then we all owe Pamela Anderson an apology for treating her as nothing more than a D-list celeb famous for her body rather than her talent or intellect.
It’s appalling that Pamela Anderson was treated like a slut, even though millions were privy to her very private moments against her will and without her permission. Had this theft occurred in recent years, Anderson would have been surrounded and embraced by her peers and other supporters, particularly those involved in the #MeToo movement. Anderson wasn’t afforded the benefit of the doubt and her story, although belatedly told in this limited series, is tragic and infuriating.
GRADE: A-
The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy premiere on Hulu on February 2, 2022. New episodes arrive on subsequent Fridays leading up to the limited series’ finale on March 9th.
Robert Siegel and DV DeVincentis wrote, executive produced, and served as co-showrunners. Craig Gillespie directed and also served as an executive producer along with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Chip Vucelich, Sarah Gubbins, Dave Franco, Dylan Sellers, Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, and Ali Krug.
Pam & Tommy Cast:
Lily James: Pamela Anderson
Sebastian Stan: Tommy Lee
Seth Rogen: Rand Gauthier
Nick Offerman: Uncle Miltie
Taylor Schilling: Erica
Andrew Dice Clay: Butchie
Pepi Sonuga: Melanie
Spencer Granese: Steve
Mozhan Marnò: Gail
