larapage Hysteria is the single most hilarious and ridiculous film ever put to tape. It's so bad that I can't work out if it was actually intended to be as cringeworthily funny as it is.I know it's not intended as a totally true-to-life portrayal of what DL went through, but everything about it is too distracting to focus on the 'storyline'.There are three problems here - the set, the script and the acting.Let's start on the set - it's supposed to be hard-up working class factory-filled Sheffield, right? When Joe leaves the factory he works in, he stands outside a sign saying 'Green Grocer' (like all UK 'green grocers' call themselves 'Green Grocer'!) and walks past a road sign that says something like 'Manchester 10 miles, M25 2 miles'. So, London's M25 motorway is 12 miles from Manchester is it? Alrighty then.The script. Jesus, the script! It was apparently put together by two penguins who think that a hardened cockney guitar god like Phil Collen would use the words 'Listen mate, you're Rick b----dy Allen from Def 'Bygone' Leppard!' Er, 'Bygone'? WHAT? The rest of it is beyond embarrassing in a hugely amusing way. It's all so awkward and stunted and basic.Then, god help us, there's the 'acting'. All these lads did OK as vaguely resembling their characters, sort of, but I am beyond amazed that they got past casting with those ridiculous mish-mash of intercontinental accents! Def Leppard, when Clarke was in it, are all from Sheffield, obviously. Phil Collen is from Hackney in London. So, that means 4 accents need to be NORTHERN and one needs to be COCKNEY. Orlando Searle as Joe Elliott and the guy who plays Pete Willis are the only ones who carry the whole thing off. Rick Savage is played by a silent, brooding big bloke who stares into space a lot and says about three things throughout the whole film. Steve Clarke is played by someone who looks AWESOME but hasn't quite decided if he's Irish, Northern, American or Scottish. He sounds like he has a different accent in every line and it's really annoying! Mutt Lange is apparently now 'American' even though he's South African.But the single most hilarious thing in the ENTIRE film is the guy who plays poor old Phil Collen. Because apparently, Phil Collen is actually a stereotypical Australian bloke. Did you know that? I sure as hell didn't! He tries desperately hard to inject little bouts of Cockney into this voice but it just goes Aussie again. In a line when he's talking to Steve, he says 'Oom coomin' for me mooney' in what sounds like a Black Country Accent, then finishes with 'maaayyyyyt' in an Oz accent. Alright then Phil, stick another tube of larger on the barbie and let's get some Sheilas over! He also um...shall we say 'overly gesticulates' when playing guitar - you'll see what I mean from the facial expressions - they'll crack you up for a good month or so after you've watched it! As a journalist myself, I had the pleasure of interviewing Phil Collen himself a couple of a years ago when he was promoting his other band Manraze. I absolutely HAD to ask him the question "What did you think of your character in the Hysteria movie?" And he laughed. And laughed. And laughed a bit more.He said it was one of the funniest things he and Def Lep had ever seen and they often joke about it today and quote lines from the film.So I guess if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me - but expect to laugh a lot, rather than sit through a poignant human drama about the fragility of people on the road to fame!

kweekes-1 What is it with the British posters on this forum? The scenes of "Sheffield" were shot in Montreal. That's in CANADA, not the US. I'm willing to bet most of the movie was shot in Canada. After all, it IS cheaper to shoot up there than say England. So to complain about how obviously "American" things are in the movie is just down to bad geography on the part of our cousins across the pond. Also, most of the Leps were portrayed by Irish (Steve Clark) or English (Joe, Rick Allen and Pete Willis) actors, so if the accents are shaky then maybe the British actors should have spoken up? That being said, this was a truly awful movie. Def Leppard was a good rock band in the 80s, but they were hardly that influential to warrant their own movie. Sure they faced a lot of bad luck, but who hasn't? Simply awful movie is my verdict.

smiley051888 I have been a Def Leppard fan for quite some time now and ever since I heard that a movie was made about Def Leppard ... I was dying to see it. So after months and months of waiting for Hysteria : The Def Leppard Story to appear on VH1 ... it finally did!! I was so excited! I immediately set my VCR to record it! I was in love with this movie form the moment it began! I think I watched it about 5 or 6 times in like 4 days! I am huge Steve Clark fan so I was very happy that the movie really went in depth with everything that he was going through while he was in Def Leppard. I am probably more obsessed with Def Leppard more now that I've seen this movie.* For all you other Def Leppard fans dying to see this movie for the first (or fiftieth) time * It will be on VH1 Classic tonight Thursday December 1, 2005 at 9pm (E.S.T.)!! And it will be re-aired at 1 AM (tonight) So hopefully all you Def Leppard fans have VH1 Classic and a working VCR to record it!! I also just purchased the DVD for this movie on www.SamGoody.com for a very reasonable price! (about $24) I am expecting to receive in the mail within the next couple of days!! YEA!!So ... all you Def Leppard fans out there * remember it's on TONIGHT! * I hope you enjoy! I know I did!!!

crowby This film was so much like the old "look in" (uk kids comic) comic strips which told the story of a pop star or groups ascent into success. I think it was Peter Kay who said the Tina Turner one had the first picture showed her being born and the parents saying "its a baby girl we'll call her tina" the next frame says,"Ike please don't hit me" and the 3rd and final frame which shows her singing "I'm your private dancer". Its hilarious how they have badly condensed a good rock and roll story in a way only American TV can. Incredibly bad continuity throughout and surreal to watch. It inspired me and my mates to get drunk and make our own version with a camcorder, we managed to condense ours down even more to about 10 minutes, its far more entertaining and probably more accurate(!) (Its called Hysterical, The Jeff Leppard Story). The original needed lines like this!"Notice anything different about me?" "Your hair?" "No Its not my hair!" "Whos hair is it then?"