Hulu's Pam & Tommy may be generating buzz, but Pamela Anderson herself is far from its biggest fan. She refused to consult on the series, and many think that its mere existence re-victimizes her. Despite the show's sympathy for her, it's important to keep in mind her agency and her own creative accomplishments.
So, now's a good a time as ever to revisit her checkered filmography to spotlight the entertaining big-screen work she's done across her storied career. While she made her name on TV shows such as Baywatch and Home Improvement, her films have been much more of a mixed bag, with some wild behind-the-scenes stories along the way.
Barb Wire Put Pam Anderson in a Post-apocalyptic Love Story With Boba Fett
Pam & Tommy constantly has characters reminding the viewer that Anderson's 1996 feature film Barb Wire was supposed to be a high-profile smash hit. However, the released film was anything but. Inspired by the Dark Horse comic created by Chris Warner, this film takes place in the post-apocalyptic United States in the far-off year of... 2017. In a country ravaged by a second civil war, Anderson plays the titular nightclub owner and bounty hunter. Her world is turned upside down when a former flame (played by Boba Fett himself Temuera Morrison) comes to the club needing to protect a political fugitive who could potentially bring the war to an end.
If that sounds like the plot of the 1942 classic Casablanca, it wouldn't be the first time that the comparison has been made. However, critics were far harsher on Barb Wire, with it quickly becoming a movie punchline accompanied by a Razzie win for Anderson as "Worst New Star." The box office results weren't any prettier, with the film making back only a little over a third of its budget. Its reputation in later years has merged with other failed comic book movies in the '90s, though some such as film critic Roger Ebert admired its "high energy level, and a sense of deranged fun."
Scooby-Doo and Baywatch Allowed Pam Anderson to Mock Her Own Image
While Barb Wire's failure destroyed Anderson's status as a box-office attraction, her personal fame was great enough to allow her to spoof her own image in other movies. At the beginning of 2002's Scooby-Doo, it's her ecologically safe action figure factory that the Luna Ghost haunts. Of course, it turns out that the Ghost was actually the creepy janitor of the factory who Anderson refused to go on a date with. While Mystery Inc. stops him from destroying her business, it exposes the dysfunctional aspects of the group that makes them break up for a whole two years!
While Anderson got to start Scooby-Doo off on the right foot, she finished out 2017's Baywatch in style. The reboot of the series that made Anderson a household name recast Kelly Rohrbach as C.J. Parker for most of the movie. However, when the lifeguard team is introduced to their new leader at the film's end, it's Anderson who struts in as Casey Jean Parker. The movie makes no effort to explain how C.J. Parker and Casey Jean Parker co-exist, though it's not as confusing as David Hasselhoff serving as the imaginary "Mentor" to the Rock's Mitch Buchannon. Still, it was nice to see Anderson appear again in the franchise's revival.
Scary Movie 3 and Superhero Movie Put Pam Anderson in Other Genres
Not all of Anderson's comedy roles have been as herself. Her work with comedy director/producer David Zucker allowed her to spoof some of Hollywood's biggest franchises. In 2003's Scary Movie 3, she and fellow former Playboy Playmate Jenny McCarthy get dropped into The Ring universe as they find themselves the victims of a supernatural videotape. Interestingly enough, McCarthy has an extensive joke where she summarizes the contents of Anderson's notorious sex tape with Tommy Lee, which leads to Anderson giving the camera a double-take. However, neither is a match for the tape, and the sequence ends with Anderson losing her life and certain parts of her anatomy becoming the title.
Superhero Movie allowed Anderson to even play a Marvel superhero. While actors such as Tracy Morgan and Simon Rex got to play Professor Xavier and the Human Torch, Anderson got to play the Invisible Woman. It's not the most comic accurate depiction, however, as she primarily pops up to get beat up by Mrs. Xavier (future Oscar host Regina Hall) for hiding in her husband's closet as part of her affair. Still, it was nice to see Anderson playing an actual character again.
Borat Gave Pam Anderson Critical Acclaim at the Cost of Her Marriage
Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is easily Anderson's most acclaimed film. She once again plays herself, but this time she's integral to the film's plot. When Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat is informed his wife has died, he eagerly plans to travel across the country to make Pamela Anderson. At the film's climax, he finally tracks her down at an autograph signing. He chases her around the store to place her in his "traditional marriage sack" to kidnap her, but luckily, the store's security guards intervene. Viewers of the film might wonder if this assault on her was as impromptu as the other improvised bits, but rest assured, Anderson was in on the bit.
However, not everyone was a fan of Anderson's participation in Borat. Her then-husband Kid Rock reportedly stormed out of a screening because he was so upset at her role in that movie. Some outlets even quoted Cohen as saying that Rock's reaction pushed Anderson to divorce him. Whatever the case, it's sad to think that Anderson's one Oscar-nominated film caused such upheaval in her personal life.
The Institute Allowed Pam Anderson to Flex Her Dramatic Muscles
In recent years, Pamela Anderson has worked on lower-profile projects. However, these smaller films have been an eclectic bunch that has allowed Anderson to stretch her dramatic muscles. Perhaps the most interesting is 2017's The Institute. Co-directed by James Franco, it features Anderson in a story about an abusive mental health hospital loosely inspired by true events. Admittedly, Anderson appears to have had a smaller part in comparison to the rest of the cast that included Franco, Tim Blake Nelson and Eric Roberts. Still, that might be a blessing in disguise as the film has a whopping zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 2.5 out of 10 on IMDb.
Ultimately, Pamela Anderson's films might be as all-over-the-place as her public reputation. Indeed, jokes about her public reputation are at the center of most of her films. No matter what, though, she always makes the screen pop with her unique sense of humor and magnetic screen presence. Her endurance as a pop culture icon owes just as much to her unique charisma as it does to anything else.