By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Mat Whitecross
Starring: Andy Serkis | Bill Milner | Luke Evans | Naomie Harris | Olivia Williams | Ray Winstone | Toby Jones
Country: united_kingdom
Year: 2010
Running time: 115
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1393020/
Bruce says: “Director Mat Whitecross figures that a straightforward biopic could not possibly do Ian Dury justice. His artistic decisions pay off. SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL is a nontraditional take on a very nontraditional subject. In addition to documenting the historical facts the film also examines three generations of men, focusing on the two father-son relationships, the ones Ian Dury had with his father and his son.
“When Ian Dury (Andy Serkis) steps into the spotlight and talks to the audience, confronting the camera with, ‘Never let the truth get in the way of a good story,’ he reminds one of Archie Rice (Laurence Olivier in THE ENTERTAINER). From the beginning it is obvious Dury is not cut out to be a husband or father. Always a hopeless philanderer, he leaves his wife Betty (Olivia WIlliams) when he falls for Denise (Naomie Harris), a black groupie who has barely left her teen years behind. Denise is clearly in over her head. ‘Everything you do is on your own terms,’ she complains early on. Unrepentant Dury replies ‘If you can’t handle it, fuck off.’ When Baxter (Bill Milner) becomes unmanageable at home, his mother decides Baxter should live with Ian and Denise.
“Dury himself had a difficult childhood. After he was stricken with polio he was placed in a home for disabled children. On rare occasion his chauffer father would pop by for a picnic or a drive in his employer’s Rolls Royce. As an adult, Dury wears a heavy leg brace that requires assistance when putting it on and taking it off. He walks with a limp yet has a determined stride.
“Originally Dury sets out to be a painter and he gradually slips into the music business. He wants to be famous more than anything. His irascible nature makes it difficult to keep a band intact. Suddenly the stars align and he clicks with Stiff Records. Ian Dury and the Blockheads have the #1 hit in England the infectious ‘Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick.’ He scores big with the anthem ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll’ in spite of being banned by the BBC.
“Success never really transforms Ian – he remains difficult, demanding, inconsiderate and charming. The film is edited at a dizzying speed and the narrative emerges from mosaic-like vignettes and confessions before the camera lens. Baxter adds his two bits throughout the film, almost as though he were his father’s alter ego. If this sounds crazy it is because it is a bit crazy…but it works. 4 cats”