At one point in "Truth or Dare," Madonna confesses to one of her dancers that she is neither a great dancer nor a great singer. The concert footage throughout the film indicates that she is not engaging in false humility. Her dancing is awkward and her singing merely pleasant. But do not be deceived for the woman does have talent. Toward the end of this piece of imitation cinema verite, Madonna demonstrates her "technique" on a bottle of Vichi water, pumping the neck in and out of her mouth before tilting her head back to swallow a gush of liquid. Yes, this seems to be where Madonna Ciccone's true talent lies but, as is the case with her musical abilities, it would seem Madonna is still a pretender. When interviewed by actress Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone a few years ago, the world's most famous female sex symbol confessed that she doesn't perform the act she demonstrated in "Truth or Dare" because she's afraid of choking to death. Hmm. Is there anything genuine about this woman?
I must say I enjoy watching the scantily clad Madonna prance around the stage, and I even enjoy some of her music. "Live to Tell," her theme for former hubby Sean Penn's film "At Close Range" is quite lovely, and "Like a Prayer" has a nice dramatic feel. But I suspect that everybody, even her most devoted fans, realize that Madonna is a cultural phenomenon for reasons that have little to do with music. To be a phenomenon for whatever reason is no small feat, of course, but in the future I predict that her "performances" will be reduced to mere artifacts of little value on their own. They have all the substance of a presidential candidate's campaign buttons.
Poor Kevin Costner turns up backstage at one of Madonna's L.A. concerts and, after thanking her for the invite, declares her show "neat," a word that causes Madonna to stuff her fingers in her throat to feign vomiting. Because it gives the audience a backstage view of this shallow but provocative woman, "Truth or Dare" is kind of "neat." Like "Gimme Shelter," the documentary about the Rolling Stones, and "This is Elvis," it stands on its own as a film that can prove interesting even to viewers who are not fans of the subject.
I must say I enjoy watching the scantily clad Madonna prance around the stage, and I even enjoy some of her music. "Live to Tell," her theme for former hubby Sean Penn's film "At Close Range" is quite lovely, and "Like a Prayer" has a nice dramatic feel. But I suspect that everybody, even her most devoted fans, realize that Madonna is a cultural phenomenon for reasons that have little to do with music. To be a phenomenon for whatever reason is no small feat, of course, but in the future I predict that her "performances" will be reduced to mere artifacts of little value on their own. They have all the substance of a presidential candidate's campaign buttons.
Poor Kevin Costner turns up backstage at one of Madonna's L.A. concerts and, after thanking her for the invite, declares her show "neat," a word that causes Madonna to stuff her fingers in her throat to feign vomiting. Because it gives the audience a backstage view of this shallow but provocative woman, "Truth or Dare" is kind of "neat." Like "Gimme Shelter," the documentary about the Rolling Stones, and "This is Elvis," it stands on its own as a film that can prove interesting even to viewers who are not fans of the subject.