“Pam & Tommy” has received positive reviews, with many appreciating the show’s unexpectedly nuanced portrayal of the historic sex tape incident. Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee star in the highly anticipated Hulu series, which delves into their rocky marriage (Sebastian Stan). Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, Taylor Schilling, Pepi Sonuga, and Andrew Dice Clay are among the cast members of “Pam & Tommy”.
The “Pam & Tommy” miniseries was created by a team of creatives, including Rogen and his longtime colleague Evan Goldberg, who also wrote the pilot. Craig Gillespie, the director of I, Tonya, and Cruella, was then brought on board to direct, with Robert D. Siegel, the writer of The Wrestler and The Founder, penning the majority of the scripts. The couple’s unlawful sex tape, which was recorded privately during their honeymoon, stolen from a locked safe, and uploaded online without their permission in 1995, is the focus of the series.
“Pam & Tommy’s” three-episode premiere is just around the corner on February 2, and reviews are starting to pour in. The show has a Tomatometer rating of 80 to 90% so far, with critics applauding it for its unexpectedly intelligent take on the iconic sex tape issue. Take a look at some of the reactions from the critics below:
Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, The Wrap
Gauthier’s story is riveting, but the whole thing would fall apart if James and Stan didn’t inhabit Pam and Tommy with as much charisma as the stars they’re playing and the empathy necessary to make us feel for people whose images have tended toward the cartoonish.
Daniel Fienberg, THR
We’ve made a mess of celebrity in this country. Pam & Tommy, if nothing else, captures that.
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone
Hulu’s series about the sex tape seen ’round the world is a hilarious and humanizing look at a pivotal moment when porn, pop culture, and an internet in its infancy collided.
Chris Evangelista, SlashFilm
A wild but sympathetic portrait of the Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee story.
Daniel D’Addario, Variety
As a dramatization of events that have slipped into history, “Pam & Tommy” is part of a crowded genre. But its curiosity and sensitivity toward its subjects set it apart.
Carly Lane, Collider
The final product leans more on acute commentary than satisfying resolution, illustrating what the spectacle around this couple’s private life damaged for and between them in the long run while the rest of the world eventually moved on to the next big story making headlines.
Kristen Lopez, IndieWire
Pam & Tommy is funny, emotional, and an incisive look at a story many still believe they know. James and Stan are astounding, with the former completely transforming herself physically.
During a poignant scene from the “Pam & Tommy” trailer, Lee says to Anderson, “I’m on that tape, same as you,” to which she responds, “Not like me, you’re not,” illustrating how men and women are evaluated differently when an intimate moment like this becomes public. It would have been simple for a director to get caught up in the appeal of “Pam & Tommy’s” sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, but the human aspect of this media scandal is the more interesting story. Gillespie had previously tackled a true subject like this in I, Tonya, so he went into Pam & Tommy fully prepared.
That’s not to suggest “Pam & Tommy” takes itself too seriously; there are plenty of ludicrous moments, such as a talking, robotic penis spoken by Jason Mantzoukas, that underline the sleazy character of the sex scandal. The series was already one of the most anticipated of the year due to its astounding physical transformations, and these glowing reviews will only add to the excitement. The good news is that Pam and Tommy’s wait is almost over.