I can't speak for the accuracy of the movie as I am not a fan of the band. My guess is, like most biopics, things are added, left out, and/or were exaggerated. Of course I know the basic facts because I am into hard'n heavy music, it was my time, and I played some music myself.
So I see this as what it is - a movie about a band that came out of nowhere and went all the way, in every way. The first half is the fast and fun part. I always smile at those stories, when a band is formed with the auditions and stuff. I've been in those situations a lot and it really is like that. So, this half of the movie is where I had lots of fun. Then it takes a complete turnaround when the ugly side of things shows up. And while it is important to show it, and it wasn't badly done, it almost came too fast. I think it was intentional to show how quickly things can turnaround but in reality it is more like a buildup that is difficult to portray in a movie. Those two half are like two sides of a coin. They belong together. But after the fun ride it was hard to connect emotionally even knowing it is based on facts.
All in all the movie was really entertaining with cool music (if you like that stuff of course). It reminded me a bit of Rock Star with Mark Wahlberg. The actors did well and (I guess) where cast as much because of their looks as anything else. One thing that never really comes across well in this movies - it is tough to fake being a musican. By that I mean you instantly recognize they are lip syncing and not really know how to play instruments. Or it's just me, having played, that is more critical.
Anyway, turn up the volume, lay back and enjoy.
Review by RoseBlockedParent2019-03-23T10:33:25Z— updated 2023-08-02T07:07:30Z
I listened to Motley Crue for years. I know all their songs and all the main parts of their history. I watched their gigs in full, I read Nikki Sixx' Heroin Diaries, listened to Vince Neil's solo stuff, as well as everything by Sixx AM.
This movie had been in the works for many years, then it was suddenly around the corner, at a time when I had listened to Crue songs so many times that they were not on my playlist anymore.
I knew the actor behind Vince Neil from The Punisher where he played a mentally disturbed soldier, nothing like Vince, so I didn't think he'd do well. I haven't watched a single episode of Game of Thrones but I knew the actor behind Mick Mars from Inhumans, so I had no idea what to expect from him.
Now that the above is out of the way, I can say that the movie did a great job at being true to the band's history and everything about Motley Crue. The looks of the band members were accurate and their personalities were recognizable. Even the small details like Nikki's Thunderbird at the band's practice, or Tommy's constant use of words like "babe" and "dude" were there as well. Mick's endless grumpiness was also perfectly displayed by the actor.
The movie was a total blast of joy from the start to about the middle of it. I'd rate it 9 or 10 for that. Then the pacing changed completely, as if it were from an absolutely different director. The turning point was the death of Razzle, which sadly felt disrespectful to the real person because of his brief appearance in the movie, making his death almost feel like nothing rather than the actual loss of a unique individual and musician whose life was taken by the actions a careless drunk. The following events weren't given enough attention either. It's like the people behind the movie excel at projecting the moods of fun and debauchery, but they fall short of projecting the weight of sadness or desperation, because the second part involved so much loss but it could not be felt - what we got then was a number of almost boring and uneventful scenes. The ending was great but extremely short.