PAM & TOMMY (2022) | LIMITED SERIES

Living through the 90s you would be forgiven for not knowing how to surf the World Wide Web or even know what it was exactly, but you'd have to have been living under a rock to have not heard about the Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape. The celebrity power couple’s whirlwind romance already had America's interest but the controversial sex tape took the world by storm. 

 

Hulu's new series Pam & Tommy is a dramatic retelling into how and why the sex tape came to be available to seemingly anybody with a computer or VCR. If you, like me, didn't have any knowledge as to the story behind the scenes of how Pamela and Tommy Lee's private home video came into the public light then strap in because it is a hell of a ride. 

 

The way the story is told through these 8 episodes is structured incredibly well. Certain episodes strictly focus on Rand (Seth Rogen) and Miltie (Nick Offerman) as well as some solely on Pam and Tommy and their relationship. Giving you the background and time with each character showing their personal journeys through the mayhem the tape caused for everyone involved. 

 

The first few episodes (directed by Craig Gillespie) exhibits how the world viewed the couple as these essentially cartoonized people, then over the course of the entire mini-series, unveils them as real human beings. What Pam & Tommy displays best is the sympathy it has for these characters that are based on the real people involved. Revealing what it was like for Pamela Anderson (played by Lily James in a career best performance) to go through this controversial and massively exposing ordeal. Tommy Lee is portrayed by Sebastian Stan as an egotistical a-hole airhead most of the time, but it sets out to prove that he isn't only those things, showcasing some very heartfelt moments occasionally on screen.

 

This series perhaps unsurprisingly isn't afraid to get graphic and fortunately it's in ways that matter to the story in order to respect it overall. The tape itself is exploitative and even though this mini-series seemingly exploits it all over again, it reveals the reason and the ramifications that this event had. Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson, no matter what was thought of them at the time, did not deserve this.

 

it is somewhat ironic that this series focused on Pamela and Tommy’s hardcore sex tape, something that caused a lot of pain and embarrassment at the time is a can't miss series. The show in general does a fantastic job making the actors look like the actual people. It is uncanny how much they made Lily James look like Pamela Anderson. Making an actor/actress look like the person they are portraying is only a minor importance. It's the acting that truly sells it in the end. Everyone involved is fantastic but Lily James gives what is sure to be an Emmy-worthy performance.  

 

Pam & Tommy does a superb job telling the story of how the video surfaced and the consequences after it captured the attention of the world. How the media and public treated a woman who was violated in the most public way. It's about more than just how the infamous sex tape came to be and perhaps like the video itself - is truly difficult to look away.