Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
By Victoria Joyce
(SugarBuzz Hollywood)
SugarBuzz Magazine
We will all now stand for our national anthem.
“Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll,” is the title of a new indie film about the life of British Punk pioneer, Ian Dury. And the adopted anthem of all rockers everywhere for all time. Every bit of clothing ought to make you pretty.
Starring and exec produced by the amazing Andy Serkis, mostly known for his CGI’ed performance as Precious in one of those “Ring” movies. But check his IMDB list. He’s done tons of wonderful stuff.
So, OK, the film is chock full of rock film cliché’s we’ve all come to know and love; unhappy childhood, dysfunctional marriages & romances, excess alcohol, band tours, fights on stage, destroyed studios, blah, blah, blah. What should we call this movie? “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick?” No, wait, wait, I got it! I got it!
At the heart “S&D&R&R” is Serkis’ performance. Absolutely haunting. He was obviously a fan. From his age, he had to have been Blockhead, the name of Dury’s band adopted by the fanatics in the 70s.
The timeline of the film goes in, out and around of before, after
and during with a hallucinogenic ferocity homing in on Andy done up like the Joel Grey character in “Cabaret” MC to his own life. Neat-o editing Peter Christellis. The make up is particularly astonishing as is the wardrobe (Joanna Eatwell) and hair (Zoey Stones). This film is gorgeous to watch. Nice work from cinematographer Brian Tufano & Christopher Ross. And you can pretty much pace time by Dury’s coiffure; i.e. early days-pouf, punk days-spiky, success & touring-buzz cut. Director, Mat Whitecross did a stellar job.
Put all this punky glam against the physical disability and the torment Dury’s withered leg and the drama gets turned up to eleven. He was literally one of the last children to contract this polio. Jonas Salk found the cure just a year or so after young Ian caught it in a swimming pool. Pretty tough. Word from the web site is that Serkis lost a ton of weight for the role and un-worked his leg to resemble Dury’s disability. Double tough.
Dury had a vicious wit made manifest in his music and obviously a coping mechanism for his trials and tribulations. So the movie is a scream. A sad scream, but a scream no less. When his wife asks him for a divorce because she’s met another man, “He’s Welsh and does ceramics” Dury replies with “Hmmm, pottery sheep?” 
Wicked, no?
The supporting cast is brilliant as well. Ray Winstone is the dad with just a few lines and some smoky flashbacks and he breaks your heart. Toby Jones is the mean teacher where Dury was institutionalized. Straight outta Dickens.
This film snuck into Los Angeles with the visiting Tribecca Film Festival, Robert DiNiro’s little baby, and played at a local art house for a week with absolutely zero fanfare and not much attendance. WTF??
The big Blockhead songs are all in the film. “Wake Up and Make Love” merging the earthly with the divine like an Evangelist-Porn Merchant is warmhearted and respectful. His kid walks in when he’s in bed with the new girl friend. The evolution of “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” with the band is 
endearing revealing the creative process fun & games. “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” is an underwater nightmare ala music video. And “Spasticus Fantasticus” is a scream fest after this song is banned from the BBC in cahoots with Dury’s participation in the Year of the Disabled. A punk to the end.
“Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part Three” possibly his most endearing song is finally and joyfully heard over the closing credits. Filmmakers stole a great idea from “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (the Tina Turner biopic) and ended the film with actual photos of Ian, his dad, son and the band. The resemblance to Andy Serkis is haunting. Again, this film is gorgeous. Netfilx it for sure. Very good indeed.