Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010)

So surmises Andy Serkis, as punk poet extraordinaire, Ian Dury, at the end of this excellent film. How the most unlikely of popsters made it to the top despite crippling polio and how that both complicated and fuelled him as both a person and an 'entertainer' (as he describes himself). When I heard that this film was being made and Serkis was cast as the uniquely ambiguous Dury, I was both delighted and deeply satisfied. That Dury's legacy was to be laid out by 'Golem'. Not that we've seen a lot of Serkis, the actor, though his physical adaptability and no bullshit, in-the-face approach bore well. And that in my mind, he would do proud the now late, rascally, lyrically dexterous Essex wide boy, Ian Dury.I've been aware of the Blockhead's music rather than an avid fan but do at least own their greatest hits CD. I also really like my rock'n'roll biopics - from The Doors, 24 Hour Party People and Sid & Nancy. The more honest and frenetic the better. The ups and downs, the grime as well as the fame. That way, we can live for a couple of hours as the 'dream' but knowing as we do, the downsides. I like them a bit mysterious too, with symbolisms and dreams and druggy effects. That way, I tell myself, I don't have to actually do things that like myself, in 'real' life.So, how does this fit in with those others? Surprisingly well - and better than more sedate reviewers had suggested. In depth, without being overlong, I know more about Dury, his psyche and his life - and I was entertained along the way. Which is about all one can ask for, really. Except, we get get some other great British acting talents adding colour and familiarity to the motley crew and the film's overall colourful tapestry. Downsides - Yes. A couple. The oft cited film's lack of portraying the big time - 'Hit Me with your Rhythm Stick' stuck out like a sore thumb when it hit no 1 in the UK singles chart. (I remember it on BBC Radio 1's Sunday chart show at the time) More than a novelty song, it really was a breath of fresh air. That must have been on Top Of the Pops - it's certainly on YouTube now. The film should have shown that, at least. In conclusion, Serkis is great (anyone else being unimaginable) as is the witty script, cast, period detail and most else. Whether a Blockhead fan or not, this film really adds to the line-up of decent music biopics. Like its subject, it's bitty and scurrilous but entertaining enough for most people who want to take a peek behind the scenes of one of music's most charismatic and misunderstood British heroes.

In one scene Olivia Williams (as Dury's wife) throws plates at Andy Serkis(Dury) in a domestic argument - typically of this film it seemed stilted and unreal. That said Andy Serkis is terrific as Dury, as I expected. Naomi Harris is hot and a damned good actress to boot. The style of the film rather gets in the way of a coherent narrative and is ultimately unsatisfying. The Blockhead's music is always worth hearing and I would have liked more band performance on screen as that is what made Dury great. It is to the movie's credit that Ian Dury is seen warts and all, like most rock stars he was a complex and difficult man at the best of times. This film was not quite what I expected it to be and therefore overall I was disappointed in the final result.

The Ian Dury story was definitely too strange for fiction. A disabled pop star - in the modern video age - who created a mix of musical hall, punk and pub rock that topped Euro charts and still gets a whirl now and then on nostalgia radio.But is this is the real story? For a start he had one of the great backing bands (and to be frank they were more musical than him!) and, besides that, he was both an art teacher and born and brought up well outside of London. Making him Mockney No.1.Like most bio-pics, facts that don't fit the overall picture are thrown over the wall. Also chronology is not guaranteed either. Never mind the interesting bits that the micro-budget couldn't touch.Serkiss is simply great as Dury. Indeed hard to see anyone doing any better with the material. Such as it is. Why did women go for this unconventional man who clearly had a great deal of trouble thinking beyond himself and his own creature comforts? ("Don't know" says the movie very honestly. Although he may have been quite nice on the days he wasn't acting a prick. There was a brain and a conscience up there.)Like many artists you are glad for their art because it shows they had hidden depths that their appearance and behaviour didn't always indicate. Later he left music ("writers block") to try and be an actor. I don't mean play at being an actor, but become a real one. Work at it. Character roles a speciality. He did OK actually. Another fact that could have been a good 20 minutes rather than ending up over the aforementioned wall.The whole production team has worked hard to get some energy and oomph in the film and not to make it limp like the man himself, but despite that it is really only a time passer. As I have already said, the film doesn't have the budget to get involved in his era (which made him really) and while it is nice to know he had a country house and a swimming pool the real action is clearly elsewhere most of the time.

Blows the typical Hollywood bio-pics (RAY, WALK THE LINE, etc. etc.) right out of the water. A career-defining performance from Andy Serkis...his BAFTA nomination was more than well-deserved. He literally inhabits this physically and emotionally demanding role. The film does not sugar-coat the fact the Dury was a hard man to be around. Superbly edited as well, combining graphics, animation, varying film-stocks and angles, B&W, flashbacks, and fantasy sequences (ever see a band perform UNDER water?). While this might sound like a mish-mash, it certainly reflects those same artistic elements and chaos of the times. Yet the movie never loses it's narrative thru-line. A must-see, even more so for those who remember.