Review of Sid and Nancy (1986) by Randy T — 29 Jun 2009

Though I've never been a fan of The Sex Pistols I did, years ago, read a biography of Nancy Spungen that was written by her mother. Therefore I had a bit of empathetic preconception about what this film was about and where it was going to lead me. In a nutshell, it's the tragically true story of two social misfits who spiral downward on a drug induced odyssey of music, methadone and melodrama. Sort of a '70's version of Romeo & Juliet, if Juliet were a punk rock groupie and Romeo a tar heroine addict. This was indeed a match made in heaven destined for a life of hell.

Of course Gary Oldman did a spectacular job becoming Sex Pistols' front man Sid Vicious. Were it not for his physical characteristics that vaguely remind us it's Gary Oldman, he'd completely disappear into the character. He's just that good. What pleasantly surprised me was how Chloe Webb gave Nancy a deserving degree of likeability. I got the sense that, had she made some better choices in her life, Nancy would have been someone who was charismatic and utterly loveable. Webb's humanistic portrayal gives Oldman the reign to express Sid's romantic co-dependency on a whole new level. Great synergy in two outstanding performances (and the film's not bad either!).