In 1990, Madonna-mania was raging. After previous year’s critically acclaimed and controversial album, Like a Prayer, the demand for more was met with the film Dick Tracy, a hit compilation and the Blond Ambition World Tour. Young director Alek Keshishian was hired to capture the tour, but after witnessing the backstage antics of the ”Fellini-esque dysfunctional family,” he convinced Madonna to pivot the focus of the film. Whereas the concert footage was shot in rich colours, the life between performances was edited in black and white cinéma vérité style.
Before the internet age and the celebrity reality boom, people yearned for any information on their idols. Here, they were presented with Madonna’s two families, biological and professional, with the lines occasionally blurred. The star herself was skilled in ”baring all” while keeping her emotional distance. The film became the biggest documentary box office hit until Bowling for Columbine (2002), and has also been regarded as an important milestone in depicting the LGBTQ+ community in popular culture.
Musically, the film isn’t exactly back-to-back bangers, but polishing up on the Like a Prayer album will help with the more emotional sequences. Overall, the film is a fabulous piece of 1990s zeitgeist that launched the international career of Antonio Banderas, labelled Kevin Costner boring and, just maybe, made Warren Beatty yearn for a stable family life.
Liina Härkönen