Sid & Nancy

Despite the fact Johnny Rotten/Lydon has some serious problems with this film, and he has every right to, it remains by far one of the best docu-drama looks at this period of music history, ranking right up there with QUADROPHENIA in my opinion. It certainly helps that director Alex Cox lived it and we see this with his earlier cult classic REPO MAN but he makes one serious error and this is with his casting of Andrew Schofield as Rotten. When you consider Gary Oldman becomes Sid Vicious, much as Val Kilmer did with Jim Morrison in THE DORRS, it baffles the mind just how unlike Rotten Schofield manages to be. Lydon feels the story misrepresents the life of Vicious and who are we to argue with one who lived through it with him but one certainly can't deny Cox should have at least consulted him before undertaking such a project. Be that as it may, SID & NANCY, aside from a slice of history tells a tragic love story of Shakespearian proportions. Chloe Webb nails Nancy Spungen right on the button and manages to deliver what may be the most hated female lead in motion picture history. Oddly enough, Courtney Love, who would later be involved in what might very well be considered Sid & Nancy Part 2 for real, makes her film debut here and if you look you'll see Iggy Pop and Chuck Biscuits as well. An all around excellent piece of work with one of the best surreal death scenes I've ever seen making it worth watching just for the ending alone.