Do you remember a time before the sex tape? Before online porn?
For anyone younger than 25, the answer is probably “no.” For anyone older, you may remember the porno that started them all: Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s infamous honeymoon sex tape.
Hulu’s latest original series, “Pam & Tommy” weaves a gut-wrenching, emotionally-charged tale of the first celebrity sex tape, the revolutionization of digital porn and Anderson. It’s hard to make the show sound believable. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen — or felt — before.
With an all-star cast, epic soundtrack, and overlay of 90s grunge, “Pam & Tommy” is a show that everyone needs to be watching. It’s a sociologists wet dream, chronicling the advent of something so highly normalized in today’s society that it’s largely criminalized in the western world: revenge porn.
When most people think of Anderson, they think of sex. But did you know that she was once the girl next door? Her star was rising, and she was flying into the stratosphere of stardom as Baywatch’s ratings erupted.
In the mid-1990s, Anderson was living the American dream in Los Angeles, California. She had a hit TV show, name recognition, married a rockstar, and was on a path to become one of the great actresses of her generation. She kind of had it all.
Lily James is unrecognizable as she morphs into Anderson’s blonde bombshell, and exceptionally talented at making Anderson one of the most endearing sweethearts of turn-of-the-century Hollywood.
Lily James is Pamela Anderson on the upcoming Hulu tv series, “Pam & Tommy” 📸 pic.twitter.com/zu6NvewOsH
— best of lily james (@badpostslily) November 18, 2021
James received no support from the real Anderson for portraying her in through the traumatic story — even Courtney Love, Anderson’s friend, chimed in.
“Shame on Lily James, whoever the f*** she is,” Love commented, according to USA Today.
Evidently, Anderson has never fully recovered from the trauma of having the highly explicit sex tape released right as she was about to blow up in the entertainment industry. Then again, would you ever recover from something like that? (RELATED: Pamela Anderson Says ‘Goodbye Social Media,’ Warns Big Tech Wants ‘Control Over Your Brain’)
Then there is Sebastian Stan’s brilliantly larger-than-life Tommy Lee… in more ways than just personality.
sebastian stan as tommy lee – a thread pic.twitter.com/HIrB3Aoi1e
— comfort for sebastian stan fans (@safeforsebb) February 13, 2022
Back in the days of Baywatch and debauchery on the Sunset Strip, Lee’s Motely Crue stardom was starting to fade. Viewers are forced to hold their breath as Lee wrestles with reckless decision-making in the tail end of the classic rock n’ roll era. Still, he was a hopeless romantic, a real family man who genuinely loved Anderson.
James Franco was originally cast to play Lee, but left the project as it was ordered by Hulu. Personally, I’m glad Stan got the role. His acting feels like whiplash. I guarantee you’ll somehow simultaneously love and hate Tommy.
The physical transformation of both Stan and James should guarantee the creative department every single award under the California sun this year.
Lily James and Sebastian Stan as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee in ‘PAM & TOMMY’. pic.twitter.com/XjmdpWxMCt
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 18, 2021
Oh, and it turns out Seth Rogen and Nick Offerman are great at porn.
I’m just kidding. Kinda.
Rogen plays a former porn-star turned carpenter named Rand Gauthier who has a major falling out with Lee over money. Enacting his own version of karma, Gauthier breaks into Lee’s home and steals a safe containing the infamous honeymoon sex tape. Upon realizing what he has in his possession, Gauthier, with the help of Offerman’s character, builds a website and creates the first viral mail-order porno.
The narrative weaves through the lives of the individual characters, creating a deep emotional bond with each. No one is the hero, except maybe Pam, and while there are real villains, the writing softens your disdain. You’re almost forced into the shoes of every character, to see life through their emotions and experiences.
The show is only five episodes in, and David Hookstead’s predictions were correct: the show is incredible. The biggest takeaway so far is that Anderson had her life and career destroyed almost exclusively by men.
When we think of the modern sex tape, we think of Kim Kardashian, who’s mother allegedly negotiated a $5 million settlement for the release of Kardashian’s sex tape with popstar Ray J, per Page Six. An entire generation has been raised thinking that if your mother manages your sex tape, you’ll become a billionaire. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s hard not to crumble as each episode goes by, like watching the most beautiful car crash in slow motion.
Even though we know what happens in the end (Lee carries on being a super hot rockstar with a bad boy reputation; Anderson’s career trends down into a direct-to-video reality nightmare), you just can’t look away.