Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010)

76% of critics liked it
(37 reviews)
67% of users liked it
(4,331 ratings)

Andy Serkis stars as volatile British new wave icon Ian Dury in this biopic from BAFTA-nominated director Mat Whitecross (The Road to Guantanamo). As a young boy, Dury nearly died after being stricken with polio. Though the ravaging disease would leave him permanently disabled, however, it would… More Andy Serkis stars as volatile British new wave icon Ian Dury in this biopic from BAFTA-nominated director Mat Whitecross (The Road to Guantanamo). As a young boy, Dury nearly died after being stricken with polio. Though the ravaging disease would leave him permanently disabled, however, it would also instill him with the drive and perseverance to become one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Along with his band Ian Dury & the Blockheads, the unpredictable rocker would become a key figure in the new wave movement of the late '70s. But through it all Dury's abrasive behavior never subsided, even during quiet moments with his delicate young son, Baxter (Bill Milner). Ray Winstone, Naomie Harris, and Olivia Williams co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Mat Whitecross
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: May 5, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Jan 25, 2011
Studio: Lipsync Productions

Critic Reviews

A.O. Scott, New York Times
Somehow this well-intentioned film cannot help but turn an uncompromisingly original artist into a formula.
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter
It's an energetic and vivacious film that will appeal to fans of punk rock worldwide and should find its place in the pantheon of great music-film biographies.
Leslie Felperin, Variety
Paul Viragh's script is too bitty to hold it all together, and filigrees of technique fail to disguise the weaknesses in helmer Mat Whitecross' first solo flight.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
...a major performance in a minor film.
Simon Foster, sbs.com.au
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll ticks all the music biopic boxes, but Whitecross wisely ramps things up by looking at Dury's life with the same sort of random, chaotic vision that both blessed and cursed the man himself.
Sarah Boslaugh, Playback:stl
[Serkis is} a revelation as Drury...
Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
... hides an utterly conventional biopic behind a narrative chopped up into flashbacks, fantasies, animated interludes, music videos and carnivalesque stage shows.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
I'm sure there was more to the astounding life of Ian Dury, but this picture doesn't submit the nuances, only the juiciest clichés imaginable.
Armond White, New York Press
Wonderful Ian Dury -- England's most endearing punk-era showman -- deserves a biopic worthy of his bouncy, ribald and trenchant songs. The new movie Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll ain't it.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Inhabiting the body and soul of legendary pub rocker Ian Dury, human chameleon Andy Serkis single-handedly muscles this by-the-book biopic into the realm of something very special.
Cosmo Landesman, Sunday Times (UK)
This film is a British celebration of outsiderdom - be it the creative or the crippled - that is never sentimental.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
The acting generally is first-class, but what holds the film together is the performance of Andy Serkis. His resemblance to Dury is simply uncanny, both in the appearance, the body language, the growling voice and the singing.
Neil Spencer, Uncut Magazine [UK]
Andy Serkis delivers a spellbinding turn as Dury. Replicating Dury's cheeky chappie onstage persona is admirable enough; more astonishing is Serkis' uncanny incarnation of Dury in person, variously charming, belligerent, foul, pathetic and awesome.
Jonathan Romney, Independent on Sunday
While it feels slapdash rather than properly punk-collage ragged, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is an honest job, and it makes a good case for including Dury's work and personality in any Brit-culture list of Reasons to be Cheerful.
Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International
A strong central performance from Andy Serkis as the late British punk rocker Ian Dury powers Mat Whitecross' directorial debut through a fractured 113 minutes.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Anchored by a ripping central performance from Serkis, this biopic about notorious musician Ian Dury is too stylish for its own good. Director Whitecross shows ambition and audacity, but his riotous visual style is distracting.
Philip Wilding, Empire Magazine
A sometimes whimsical and magical take on the life of one of Britain's most artistically charged rock stars. Serkis shines in his role as the troubled singer.
Tom Huddlestone, Time Out
You don't need to be a fan of Dury's music to enjoy 'Sex & Drugs...'. This is just gorgeous, celebratory cinema, unfettered and courageous, if unashamedly scattershot, much like the man himself.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Inside this strange little movie is a rather decent one. The editing style is a little out there, but it's mostly filled with a well casted, well done, well acted story. It is a story of a man who survived polio as a child, and became a punk rockstar. Serkis is good giving… More
Inside this strange little movie is a rather decent one. The editing style is a little out there, but it's mostly filled with a well casted, well done, well acted story. It is a story of a man who survived polio as a child, and became a punk rockstar. Serkis is good giving realistic grit to the self-absorbed leading man. I am a sucker for pics about musicians, and I found this to be an enjoyable one.
Anthony L

An excellent 'mini-biopic' if you will, of a British punk legend. I'm a big Ian Dury fan, if you don't know who he is, google him this instant! Better still, go see this film, it would be rude of us Brits not to share him with the rest of the world! Mat Whitecross… More
An excellent 'mini-biopic' if you will, of a British punk legend. I'm a big Ian Dury fan, if you don't know who he is, google him this instant! Better still, go see this film, it would be rude of us Brits not to share him with the rest of the world! Mat Whitecross has executed the concept beautifully, never pussy-footing around the grimy truths of the cherished idol and taking notes from Dury's real life son gives it a certain authenticity that many alike films lack. Serkis puts in a really impressive performance too, probably his best to date, handling Dury's handicaps tastefully without exaggeration. Brilliant film!
Lesley N

Andy Serkis IS Ian Dury in this bio-pic of the flawed polio'd punk-poetical genius. Einstein can't be classed as witless. He claimed atoms were the littlest. When you did a bit of splitting-em-ness Frighten everybody shitless There ain't half been some clever… More
Andy Serkis IS Ian Dury in this bio-pic of the flawed polio'd punk-poetical genius. Einstein can't be classed as witless. He claimed atoms were the littlest. When you did a bit of splitting-em-ness Frighten everybody shitless There ain't half been some clever bastards (Lucky bleeders, lucky bleeders) If you've never heard of Ian Dury or his Blockheads, then you won't get much of an idea from the random snippets of music in the film, and if you're not a fan, this possibly won't convert you either. But if you remember him fondly, watching SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK N ROLL is the next best thing to the man himself coming back to gobby feisty life.
Adam M

Andy Serkis gives a brilliant performance as Ian Dury, a rock star that managed to have a fairly successful career despite having caught Polio as a child and having a wife and two kids. Its his determination that makes the film so compelling as we see gigs, both good and bad, fights,… More
Andy Serkis gives a brilliant performance as Ian Dury, a rock star that managed to have a fairly successful career despite having caught Polio as a child and having a wife and two kids. Its his determination that makes the film so compelling as we see gigs, both good and bad, fights, tantrums and the sex, drugs and rock n roll of the title as we see Dury start a new relationshp, make lots of money, have relationships break down as well as trying to keep his family close. Its sometimes touching, fun and funny as well as being intense and dramatic in parts with good performances also from Naomie Harris and Olivia Williams. A great rock n roll drama.
David S

A brilliant performance from Serkis and some interesting directorial flourishes make this an engaging watch, but a bit of a soulless experience. Dury comes off as a bit of a git, which he probably was, but that doesn't make it easy to relate to him and the film. Of course the… More
A brilliant performance from Serkis and some interesting directorial flourishes make this an engaging watch, but a bit of a soulless experience. Dury comes off as a bit of a git, which he probably was, but that doesn't make it easy to relate to him and the film. Of course the music is great and it's got a stellar cast but trying to justify Dury's attitude was the consequence of a disturbed childhood is a bit of a cop-out and we've seen that done hundreds of times before on film.
Barry L

Wonderful view into the pain and suffering Dury went through to make it as one of the most talented and original song writers of the 70's. Great film and superbly acted by Andy Serkis.
Movee C

"Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll" is everything that its title implies...on acid. Serkis is one passionate performer. Made me a believer and I don't even know who Dury is.