Mötley Crüe were known as the wildest hedonists in '80s glam metal, so it's only natural that a biopic about them would need to be salacious. The new Netflix film The Dirt — based on the 2001 memoir of the same name — doesn't shy away from raunchy depictions of sex and drugs, and there's even a graphic squirting scene within the first minute.
"It really shows what life was like. It actually maybe even downplays it a little bit, because we were completely out of control back then," Crüe singer Vince Neil says with a chuckle. "There are some funny scenes in this movie and there's a lot of R-rated stuff, but that was Mötley Crüe."
Helmed by Jackass director Jeff Tremaine, The Dirt celebrates the band's hard-partying ways, but also shows the consequences of their actions. From drug addictions to divorces to legal troubles, there's a dark side to Mötley Crüe's thrill-seeking lifestyle. But despite the self-destructive highs and crushing lows, Neil isn't embarrassed to see his life depicted on the screen.
"We were young, and we had too much money and time on our hands," he remembers. "None of us graduated from high school, so I look at it like the same thing that college people do at the same age. Except we did it all over the world. The tour bus was our frat house."
The Dirt was in development for over a decade: ownership of the project changed hands several times, and there were numerous failed scripts before the band found one that stuck closely to the book. Netflix finally got the project off the ground with a big-name cast including rapper Machine Gun Kelly (as drummer Tommy Lee) and Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson (as label rep Tom Zutaut). Now that it's done, Neil says he's thrilled with the results.
"After a few minutes, I forgot it was about us," he enthuses. "I was just all of a sudden watching a really cool movie."
"It really shows what life was like. It actually maybe even downplays it a little bit, because we were completely out of control back then," Crüe singer Vince Neil says with a chuckle. "There are some funny scenes in this movie and there's a lot of R-rated stuff, but that was Mötley Crüe."
Helmed by Jackass director Jeff Tremaine, The Dirt celebrates the band's hard-partying ways, but also shows the consequences of their actions. From drug addictions to divorces to legal troubles, there's a dark side to Mötley Crüe's thrill-seeking lifestyle. But despite the self-destructive highs and crushing lows, Neil isn't embarrassed to see his life depicted on the screen.
"We were young, and we had too much money and time on our hands," he remembers. "None of us graduated from high school, so I look at it like the same thing that college people do at the same age. Except we did it all over the world. The tour bus was our frat house."
The Dirt was in development for over a decade: ownership of the project changed hands several times, and there were numerous failed scripts before the band found one that stuck closely to the book. Netflix finally got the project off the ground with a big-name cast including rapper Machine Gun Kelly (as drummer Tommy Lee) and Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson (as label rep Tom Zutaut). Now that it's done, Neil says he's thrilled with the results.
"After a few minutes, I forgot it was about us," he enthuses. "I was just all of a sudden watching a really cool movie."
