February 8, 2010
Another in a recent stream of British musician biopics, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll follows the life of eccentric 70s punk rocker Ian Dury - the man who many fail to realise actually coined the ubiquitous title phrase.
The film, directed by Mat Whitecross, details Dury’s life, starting with his time spent crashing around run-down pubs and seedy bars, fighting with fellow band members and bar staff alike, and ending with his success as Ian Dury and the Blockheads. However, the chronology of Dury’s later years is interspersed with flashbacks to his polio ridden youth in a school for disabled children. But Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll doesn’t only serve to tell the tale of Dury’s tortured childhood and subsequent rise to fame, it also considers his relationship with his son and the women in his life, as well as the more detrimental aspects of his rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. This chopping and changing between man and musician creates quite a fast pace to the film for the majority; luckily it is done well enough that the audience is never left in confusion.
Throughout the film, however, it is partly the detailed set dressing and various elaborate costumes that Dury sports (on and off stage) that continuously catch both the eye of the audience and the feel of a lost era, forming a captivating and convincing world on screen.
The only downside of Whitecross’ film is the thirty minutes or so in the middle where the fast-pace seems to falter slightly and the mind begins to wander. Apparently even one of the founding members of the British punk-rock movement can have his slow days. However, this slight blip straightens out and by the end of the film it is almost forgotten.
With Andy Serkis (who also played Gollum in Lord of the Rings believe it or not) playing Dury to spectacular perfection, never dropping a beat (both figuratively and literally) and a supporting cast including the likes of Mackenzie Crook (The Office, Pirates of the Caribbean) and Ray Winstone, it comes as no surprise that Whitecross’ colourful and theatrical masterpiece is nominated for two Baftas. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is exactly what it says on the tin, and it is well worth watching.
The film, directed by Mat Whitecross, details Dury’s life, starting with his time spent crashing around run-down pubs and seedy bars, fighting with fellow band members and bar staff alike, and ending with his success as Ian Dury and the Blockheads. However, the chronology of Dury’s later years is interspersed with flashbacks to his polio ridden youth in a school for disabled children. But Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll doesn’t only serve to tell the tale of Dury’s tortured childhood and subsequent rise to fame, it also considers his relationship with his son and the women in his life, as well as the more detrimental aspects of his rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. This chopping and changing between man and musician creates quite a fast pace to the film for the majority; luckily it is done well enough that the audience is never left in confusion.
Throughout the film, however, it is partly the detailed set dressing and various elaborate costumes that Dury sports (on and off stage) that continuously catch both the eye of the audience and the feel of a lost era, forming a captivating and convincing world on screen.
The only downside of Whitecross’ film is the thirty minutes or so in the middle where the fast-pace seems to falter slightly and the mind begins to wander. Apparently even one of the founding members of the British punk-rock movement can have his slow days. However, this slight blip straightens out and by the end of the film it is almost forgotten.
With Andy Serkis (who also played Gollum in Lord of the Rings believe it or not) playing Dury to spectacular perfection, never dropping a beat (both figuratively and literally) and a supporting cast including the likes of Mackenzie Crook (The Office, Pirates of the Caribbean) and Ray Winstone, it comes as no surprise that Whitecross’ colourful and theatrical masterpiece is nominated for two Baftas. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is exactly what it says on the tin, and it is well worth watching.