Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
by Warren Curry
6/24/10
Near the conclusion of “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll,” director Matt Whitecross’ exuberant biopic of late British musician Ian Dury, the charismatic man tells an interviewer that he thinks of himself as more an entertainer than a singer. I feel it’s safe to say most of his fans did as well. In strictly a conventional musical sense, Dury (played by Andy Serkis) was a man of dubious talent, but if this film provides an accurate representation, when on stage he was a supremely engaging showman.
The bouncy spirit of his performances permeates the rest of this film, a fun, flashy look at a man who used his art to cope with a lifelong physical disability resulting from polio. Whitecross, who co-directed “The Road to Guantanamo” with Michael Winterbottom, doesn’t take any chances with the standard biopic narrative formula, but creates such a fun atmosphere that it’s tough to prevent being swept along for the ride.
Dury’s music career started in the late ’60s, but it wasn’t until the birth of the British punk scene a decade later when the man found success, releasing his first album, “New Boots and Panties,” with his backing band, The Blockheads. Dury’s voice had limitations, but he was skilled lyricist, using a jovial style of street poetry to convey witty observations of contemporary England.
Though Dury’s music obviously features prominently in the film, it’s placed in a vague context. We see that his band attained popularity (judging by the enthusiastic audiences at his concerts), but aren’t given much in the way of specifics. Because Dury is far less known in the United States than in England, this may create some problems since it’s difficult to discern just how big an impact his music had on British popular culture. If anything, this film, because it seems to assume significant viewer familiarity with its subject (or at least his celebrity), might actually understate his importance.
Whitecross and screenwriter Paul Viragh instead focus on Dury’s personal life, frequently flashing back to his days living in a hospital for disabled children. He left his wife Betty (Olivia Willams), with whom he had a son, Baxter (Bill Milner), but never divorced her, even when he began a relationship with a much younger woman, Denise (Naomie Harris). Predictably, this romance would also eventually be fraught with turmoil. Through it all, Dury remained driven to find success via music, if for no other reason than to prove all his doubters wrong.
The familiar biopic highs, lows and in-betweens are all covered here, but Whitecross directs it all with a light touch that works to the movie’s benefit. With animated bits and a highly stylized visual scheme, the film definitely doesn’t traffic in realism. Andy Serkis’ flamboyant performance adds to the overall spectacle, and he deserves credit for doing a credible job singing Dury’s songs (backed by the actual Blockheads).
Even if there is a seen-it-all-before quality to this film, the energy level remains high enough throughout that it’s easy to deal with the lack of originality. I’ll need to consult Wikipedia or All Music Guide to get more about details about Dury’s music, but “”Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” serves as an enjoyable introduction to a unique entertainer.
contact: wcurry718@yahoo.com
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (USA/2010)
Director: Mat Whitecross
Cast: Andy Serkis, Naomi Harris, Olivia Williams, Toby Jones, Ray Winstone
Not Rated, 115 minutes
(Tribeca Film; opens in Los Angeles June 25, 2010; opened in New York City May 21, 2010)