Today Disney+ releases its hotly-anticipated mini-series about one of the 90s biggest couples and their infamous sex tape, Pam & Tommy
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When we begin, Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) are getting their house renovated by porn star-turned-builder Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogan). Tommy is a demanding client and Rand is hurt by his failure to pay in advance. Having just been fired, Rand devises a plan for karma to visit Tommy by robbing him.
Looking through his loot, he finds a tape of the couple’s very private moments and takes the tape to a porn producer friend of his, Uncle Miltie (Nick Offerman). As they say, the rest is history, but Pam & Tommy delves deep into the couple’s whirlwind romance and the affects the tape’s release had on their lives, specifically Pamela.
The first three episodes set up the series with a sense of excitement, only to become something else entirely as the fallout takes shape.
It’s a delicate balance to walk, but the show succeeds because of this. Pamela was just collateral damage as a result of Gauthier’s action, and it’s the series strongest point, with the question being what happens when your most intimate moment meant for an audience of two is seen by millions?
The writing team, led by showrunner Robert Siegel, offers a layered series about one of pop culture’s defining events, full of exceptional performances from both Sebastian Stan and Lilly James, as well as Seth Rogan. However it’s Lilly who is given time to shine resulting in an astounding portrayal.
Pam & Tommy feels like a complete package with a story worth telling, and the episodic format allows time to explore the story you think you know in greater detail.
4.5 Stars
Pam & Tommy premieres the first three episodes on Wednesday 2 February on Disney+, with new episode coming weekly.
