‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam’ Netflix Series Review - This Docuseries is Merely Serviceable

The name Lou Pearlman is generally mentioned in the same breath as Backstreet Boys, so it's only natural then that the docuseries about this talent manager/scam artist starts with and then spends a lot of time showing music videos of this American vocal group that consists of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Someone describes Lou as an "impresario in sync with the times." Before finding fame in the music business, Lou showed interest in aviation. He learned about blimps through German businessman Theodor Wüllenkemper. But Lou started touching the sky after forming the Backstreet Boys. This boy band initially found great success in Germany. In the USA, however, no one displayed much enthusiasm about these boys. The name Backstreet Boys, though, soon turned into a big deal, leading Lou to form another boy band called NSYNC. His logic? If Coke's success can give rise to Pepsi, then someone would definitely try to compete with him by creating a boy band similar to the Backstreet Boys. Lou wanted to be his own rival. He didn't stop at NSYNC and went on to build other groups like O-Town and Natural. He found this venture promising because he thought boy bands would be a hit as long as little girls existed on this planet. Judging by the footage of female fans feeling dazed and hypnotic, you could say Lou was right.

Lou's story is fascinating. Here is a man who gave birth to musicians who became well-known celebrities. Those same musicians later sued him for fraud and underpayment. Lou not only made money as a manager and producer but also received payment as a "sixth member" of the Backstreet Boys. So, while the singers received paychecks of $10,000 or $30,000, Lou accumulated millions in his bank. He justified this by explaining that he managed the tours, transportation, and other aspects. The question that immediately pops up is, "Were the Backstreet Boys being ungrateful to their father figure (Lou was referred to as Big Pops)?" "No," one of the band members replies because Lou received substantial compensation through the efforts and hard work of the band. Lou was a very powerful person. We are told that he managed to arrange a plane to Orlando for his musicians even after the 9/11 attack when flight services were suspended. It couldn't have been easy to defeat a man like him, right? Well, he evaded the police for some time, but when he was finally arrested and brought to the court, he confessed to his crimes. Why didn't he deny all the allegations? Why didn't he plead innocent? Many criminals put up a fight to defend themselves, but it feels as if Lou understood he could no longer hide his involvement from all the illegal business. Nevertheless, a drawing in a letter reveals that he had fantasies of escaping from prison.

Look at Lou Pearlman's photograph on the Wikipedia page. In his "2007 arrest mugshot," he can be seen smiling like a man who thinks he has done nothing wrong and who will soon emerge victorious. One can imagine Lou as a master manipulator who masked his dishonesty with kindness. The interviewees, unsurprisingly, describe him as someone who could perceive your dreams and then sell them to you with his attractive deals and promises. Many people say how helpful, and caring Lou was towards them. While listening to such statements, I conjured an image of Lou outwardly smiling for his close friends and associates while inwardly congratulating himself for being a genius exploiter. You, after all, really need to be some kind of genius to run one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history. This story, this character, could yield more rewards in the realm of fiction. A good filmmaker could work on Lou's inner life by expanding it through creative liberties and choices, while a good actor can show us the drama on the screen through his talents. Within the boundaries of the documentary, however, Lou's life is depicted with a series of news clippings, music/real-life footage, and talking heads. Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam, thankfully, doesn't start with a recap, but its trajectory is nonetheless familiar. The highs are followed by lows, the congratulations give way to curses. Dirty Pop is watchable due to the story it tells. As a piece of filmmaking, it's sorely unimaginative and merely serviceable.

Final Score- [5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times