Spotlight On — Pam & Tommy Review

By Tulsi Shah

In today’s internet culture, celebrity sex tapes are all the rage. While any people become celebrities from their sex tapes, that was not the case in 1995. Pam and Tommy tell the story of the internet’s first sex tape. The show humanises everyone involved and deep dives into the dehumanisation of celebrities in the 1990’s. Yet, the show seems to very heavily empathise with Pamela Anderson more than they do Tommy Lee.

The conversation of consent is constant throughout the show. The tape is stolen from Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s home by a carpenter who they refused to pay. The audience sympathises with Rand Gauthier, the carpenter, as Tommy Lee is abusive and refuses to pay him. Even when he has an opportunity to pay Rand the money he is owed and stop the production of the tapes, he burns the money and claims Rand is the bad guy. This does not make the audience sympathetic towards Tommy.

All the sympathy goes towards Pamela Anderson, portrayed by Lily James. Amongst the glitz of glamour of making it in Hollywood as an actress in Baywatch, there are several instances of pure sexism. But what is frustrating to watch is the passiveness of Pamela. James portrays Pam as weak, mild, and easily intimidated. She constantly goes…