The only strong presence is producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange (Michael Anthony Hall), who was instrumental in molding the band's multiplatinum albums "High 'n' Dry," "Pyromania" and "Hysteria." Hall's Lange is quick to the point and is immediately accepted as the band's mentor, even more than manager Peter Mensch (Dean McDermott), who maybe has four lines of dialogue in the two-hour film.Īnother problem is that the movie is too ambitious. And bassist Rick "Sav" Savage (Adam MacDonald) is the quiet, normal one.Įven original guitarist Pete Willis (Nick Bagnall) is just another party-loving guitarist who gets the obligatory ousting - a la the Beatles' Pete Best. Phil Collen (Esteban Powell) is the talented, guitar-slinging philosopher. "Steamin' " Steve Clark (Karl Geary) is the insecure alcoholic guitar wiz. Allen (Tat Whalley) is the determined one-armed drummer. Lead-singer Joe Elliott (Orlando Seale) is the heartless, motivated dictator. The movie reduces Def Leppard to one-dimensional caricatures. There were overcontrolling girlfriends, clueless musicians who live for nothing but sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, in-studio tiffs, and fights, and death. If the film weren't based on a real band, I'd swear it was supposed to be the sequel to Rob Reiner's 1984 mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap." They're responsible for this lame original VH1 movie. Instead, I set my sights on director Robert Mandel and producer Patricia Clifford. I watched "Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story," which will premiere on VH1 Wednesday, July 18, at 7 p.m. I remember getting so mad that I threw my Def Lep tapes away. They had everything, and Allen had taken it all for granted. The band had three platinum albums under its belt and had completed a successful 16-month tour. I was a struggling musician then, with dreams of the success that had come to Def Leppard. I remember getting angry at Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen back in 1985.Įarlier that year, Allen was drunk when he lost his arm in a car accident while drag racing on an English country road.
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