Pamela – A Love Story

By Hap Haggerty, Content Coordinator

Directed by Ryan White, Pamela – A Love Story covers most of the bases of the tabloid life of 90’s bombshell Pamela Anderson featuring stolen private sex tapes, Baywatch, Hollywood paramours, and the like. Pamela’s upbringing and early life transgressions are detailed with startling honesty, but the recurring theme is her undying love for former husband Tommy Lee.

Bob Guccione offered Pam and Tommy 5 million dollars (just shy of 9 million in today’s dollar) for the rights to their stolen sex tapes and they refused? It’s never explained how Bob acquired the rights to stolen tapes in the first place, or who “Internet Entertainment Group” was, but it does convey with stark clarity how the fiasco tarnished her career and destroyed her marriage.

It might be difficult for millennial viewers (if there are any) to imagine why it would be a big deal. There are entire social media platforms comprised of homemade porn of every variety and fetish. But in 1997, internet porn was underground – niche even – and how often do you see authentic celebrity hardcore porn today? Not to mention the fact that the tapes were stolen. Someone would be under the jail if that happened now, but no one was prosecuted because Tommy’s a rock star and a Pam’s a playmate? Lot’s of social commentary here for the younger set.

Pamela – A Love Story paints a vivid enough picture of Pamela Anderson’s shaky home life and dysfunctional relationships for us to get the drift. More, it shows the making of a strong woman who was motivated by hardship to flip the dynamic to become one of Playboy’s signature brands and one of Hollywood’s (still) most recognizable blondes.