Kumari Shreya
Directed by Ryan White, ‘Pamela: A Love Story’ is a riveting documentary featuring Pamela Anderson. In her own words, the ‘Baywatch’ star tells the story of some of the most controversial and private parts of her life, along with the changes that occurred due to the world’s reaction to the same. While the movie is far from the first time her story has been shared with the world, it does have an air of intimacy as well as authenticity owing to her first-hand involvement and the home videotapes she shares to take viewers on a trip down memory lane. However, given just how controversial the celebrity’s life has been over the years, the audience cannot help but wonder just how much of the experiences shared in the documentary are true.
How True is Pamela: A Love Story?
It has been reported that Pamela shared her diaries and home tapes with the producers of the movie. While she did watch many of the latter herself, she did not want to be the one reading her journals, claiming it would not be good for her mental health. Though, she did give the filmmakers blanket permission to use excerpts from the same and have someone else read them for the documentary. Thanks to these personal materials shared by Pamela, the story depicted in the documentary, for the most part, appears to be true.
The chronology of the events shared in the movie is certainly accurate. However, there are a few pieces that have caused more controversies than others, leading many to seek clarification on the same—starting with Pamela’s insistence that she did not earn any money from the explicit private video of her and Tommy Lee, her first husband. In the documentary, she does not even go into the details of the deal that the couple ended up making with Internet Entertainment Group (IEG) in 1998.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that the deal between the two parties has remained completely confidential since its making. In 2014, a Rolling Stone article claimed that Pamela and Tommy had decided to sign away the rights to their video and its distribution on the internet. Yet, the couple then found out that IEG had begun selling physical tapes at $15, only for it to become the best-selling explicit title in history.
This started another lawsuit, which ultimately ended up in favor of Pamela and Tommy in 2002. According to court orders, IEG had to pay each of them $740,000 in compensation. However, Pamela’s statement of not having earned a “single dime” from the video seemingly remains accurate. As it turns out, at the time of this order, IEG was far from the lucrative business it once was, and its founder, Seth Warshavsky, had shifted to Bangkok, Thailand, in 2001.
The topic of just how much Pamela and Tommy may have earned from this tape has always remained a point of speculation. Though in his 2004 memoir ‘Tommyland,’ the latter himself shares that Warshavsky had initially offered them $250,00 for the rights of the tape, but they never accepted. In the documentary, Pamela also mentions the name of Bob Guccione, the owner of Penthouse magazine, who, apparently, offered them $5 million for the rights as well. Whether or not the amount is accurate cannot be said, but it is well-known that Pamela and Tommy refused the deal and decided to take the legal route.
It is easy to see that most of the details given by Pamela in the documentary are indeed correct. Her discovery as a spokesperson by Labatt during a football match is a well-known story that has long been talked about. The ‘Baywatch’ star also disclosed the details of her romantic life, which though accurate, don’t paint a complete picture. Indeed her brief marriage with Jon Peters, though this might be due to her claim that the two were never legally married. The film also delves into Pamela’s Broadway debut. While her fans praised her ‘Chicago’ performance when it came first out, the behind-the-scenes insight would have certainly made them happy.
Given the amount of time Pamela has spent in the limelight, it would be highly difficult for a single movie to seemingly cover all the ups and downs of her life. Naturally, many controversial moments from her life have not been addressed in the documentary, like her second leaked sex tape with Bret Michaels or the lawsuit against Penthouse magazine. Nonetheless, what the documentary does showcase to its viewers is highly accurate as far as the ‘Baywatch’ star is concerned.
‘Pamela: A Love story’ takes a more emotional turn than a factual one and does not delve deep into the details of the various struggles of the actress. That is not to say the incidents did not occur, but the movie is more focused on her mental health as well as the recollection of said events. One can even say that most, if not all, of the facts mentioned in the documentary, were already public knowledge prior to its release.
Read More: How Accurate is Pam and Tommy?
