OK, let’s get something straight right off the bat. The actors in VH1’s original film Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story (airing 9 p.m. EST Wednesday and 10 p.m. EST Saturday) don’t exactly look like the actual members of the band. They don’t exactly act like the actual members of SAG.
But the music’s badass.
Any fan of the band will appreciate the film for its in-depth look at the recording of such rock anthems as “Rock of Ages” and “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.” But as for the movie’s storytelling, there’s something lacking. It’s probably the story.
A solid 40 minutes is dedicated to drummer Rick Allen’s tragic car crash–in which he lost his left arm–and his subsequent recovery from the accident. Maybe that’s what some viewers remember most about the band, but for those who are more interested in Def Leppard’s struggle throughout the grunge-heavy ’90s, they’re simply outta luck. Hysteria ends its look at the band at the end of the ’80s.
The band’s rise to rock supremacy is touched upon, as a rabble of blue-collar workers and factory employees comes together to make music in the U.K. Their minor successes send them into the studio with renowned record producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange (played by Anthony Michael Hall, a man who knows a thing or two about the ’80s), and before long, the album Pyromania is born.
Allen’s tragedy soon occurs, forcing the hard-drinking members of the band–and Lange himself–to consider their options. Ultimately, Allen stays with the band, equipped with a specially designed drum kit that allows him to play with one arm, several foot pedals and electronic drum heads.
And that’s it.
The film launches into a passionate concert performance of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and concludes, mentioning, as an afterthought, that guitar player Steve Clark also died a couple of years later. If you’re a fan of Clark, do not watch this film.
Hysteria strives to explain how the band achieved its success–and does so. But the battle to remain on the charts throughout the ’90s–much less now–is untouched. Catch the band’s Storytellers installment on VH1 for some real background.
