Well, the first thing I have to admit to is being a fan of Def Leppard. Not as much as one of my friends, who seemingly listens to nothing else all day and night, but enough to be familiar with most of their earlier repertoire. When I used to watch MTV (those many years ago when all they played were videos), I looked forward to all the Def Leppard videos. In part, this had to do with admiration for their music, but also (thanks to my usually ignored voyeuristic side) because I was fascinated by the fact that the group had a drummer with one-arm. Of course, those of you who are familiar with the band know that was not the case from the beginning, but rather the result of an accident that occurred when they were already on top. The year was 1984, and drummer Rick Allen was in a really bad car wreck which cost him his left arm. But what was inspiring was that of instead of immediately replacing him, his band mates instead rallied around him and refused to let him give up. When he was ready, ‘armed’ with a specially designed drum kit, Def Leppard hit the road and continued to be highly successful for many years after.

The film “Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story” is as it sounds. Taking the title from one of the band’s most successful albums, the film shows us a ‘Reader’s Digest’ version of how the band came to be as well as how they overcame all the obstacles that were thrown their way. The film’s main focus seems to be that of Allen’s loss of his arm and guitarists Steve Clark’s bout with alcoholism, but it does touch briefly on other areas of the band’s career.

“Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story” originally aired on VH1, and typically these films are regarded as less than adequate. This is no the case with this film, however. Surprisingly enough, the actors hired to play the band do a pretty good job in their roles and eventually they won me over. The one piece of casting that caught me off guard was that of Anthony Michael Hall as uber-producer Mutt Lange. The real Lange is responsible for some of the biggest platinum selling albums in history (and is currently married to country diva Shania Twain), and Hall’s performance makes that fact a believable one.

The DVD release of “Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story” is only disappointing for the fact that it doesn’t have any extra features at all. No interviews, commentaries or anything. I really think that it should have had some of the real band members present, or at least added some additional documentaries about the real band.

That said, “Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story” is a worthwhile watch for avid members of the band. Just be aware of the fact that there are times that the film seems rushed, and it has to be in order to fit so much story into a 90 minute running time.

Directed by: Robert Mandel
Starring: Nick Bagnell, Karl Geary, Adam McDonald, Esteban Powell, Orlando Seale, Tat Whalley, Amber Valletta, Anthony Michael Hall
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen, English Stereo
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 1/25/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Some Drug Use)
Website

We'll give Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story a B-.