Back in May 2021, the internet was shocked with the transformation of Sebastian Stan (“Falcon and the Winter Soldier”) and Lily James (“Cinderella”) as Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson. Flashforward to February 2022 and the premiere of “Pam & Tommy” on Hulu caused some excitement among both Lee and Anderson fans and Stan and James fans alike.
The series opens with how Rand Gauthier, a contractor portrayed by Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”), came to possess the infamous sex tape between Lee and Anderson. The series switches between the past and the present timelines, showing many significant events in the characters’ lives. Viewers get to see how Anderson and Lee met, when Anderson was discovered at Canadian football games and the aftermath of the stolen tape being released for public consumption.
While getting a better understanding of Anderson and Lee’s relationship was great, the best part of the series was its stance toward women being sexualized solely based on looks and previous career choices. Anderson’s career suffered immensely because of the tape’s release. It was quite devastating to see her fall apart. She wanted to move on to more serious roles, not stay on “Baywatch” where she was not being taken seriously. James put on a phenomenal performance that is sure to garner her some award nominations.
It was a little strange having previously seen Tommy Lee being portrayed by Machine Gun Kelly, to Sebastian Stan taking on the role. Yet, Stan gave a memorable performance. The way he would go from giving Anderson all of the love in the world to throwing violent outbursts when things were not going his way was quite amazing to see unfold on screen. This was not Stan’s first time portraying a real-life person, as he portrayed Jeff Gillooly in “I, Tonya,” which earned him several award nominations.
In the series, fans of Mötley Crüe can see another portrayal of the band’s fade out of the spotlight. There is one scene where the band has to deal with their record label giving Third Eye Blind their studio time. According to the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, this part in the series was completely made up. In an Us Weekly article, he said, “Mötley Crüe and I’ve never been in the same studio.”
Seth Rogen’s performance is also worth highlighting because his portrayal of Gauthier strays from his usual “nice guy” persona. Here, Rogen plays a morally gray man who struggles with what he has done. Yet, there is no sympathy for Gauthier because of his blatant denial that consent must be obtained before releasing someone’s sex tape. It is not just porn, because the tape was not meant for public consumption, which is why it was locked away in a safe. With this portrayal, Rogen has shown audiences that he can take on more serious roles.
Actors also starring in the show include Nick Offerman, Taylor Schilling and Maxwell Caulfield. Each of these actors gave excellent performances. Schilling’s performance as Gauthier’s wife was the best out of these three actors, as she expressed the importance of consent even as a porn star. She yelled at Gauthier that she had to sign a waiver to be filmed – Anderson and Lee signed no such waiver.
If you are looking for a quick mini-series to watch that touches on serious issues, you have found it with Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy.”
