User Reviews (18)

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  • As a director Madonna's understanding of subtlety and nuance is akin to a stiff punch to the gut. She doesn't get it at all. Incomprehensible at times and pretentious in others, there isn't that much reason to watch it. I skipped some of the more arduous scenes that were hard to get through. Doing this made the movie easier to watch.

    The immigrant storyline which takes place in London is mildly interesting. The problem is that Madonna doesn't know how to bring her ideas and observations together in a way that makes enough sense. This lack if comprehension for the story she is trying to tell coupled with her inexperience as a director leads to on screen confusion and annoyance.
  • A profound idea and Madonna put together sounds like a futile attempt to mix water and oil, but, being a guy who likes both Hutz as an actor and indie film alone should all by itself be testament to my willingness to be open-minded about unusual forms of art and interpretation. So, I watched Filth And Wisdom with no preconceived notions even after reading so many bad reviews.

    Now that I've seen it, I'll just say that this film makes no effort to force you to think and ask questions, but simply lays out the overall message up front then just goes through the motions of showing it. There were moments of potential, but at no point did I even remotely wonder how things might turn out for each character in the end. It just didn't occur to me to care enough.

    In short, if you're a fan of Hutz's former roles in acting, no less Gogol Bordello, you'll probably enjoy seeing Hutz play himself in this role at most, which features a scene of Gogol Bordello performing at the end. Filth and Wisdom, however, doesn't even come close to what you might have walked away with in Everything Is Illuminated. This film is just Madonna's effort to cash in on a new spotlight that no longer shines on her, in my opinion.

    If you have no clue who Eugine Hutz or Gogol Bordello is and can care less, on the other hand, I advise you avoid this movie all together..... unless you're on a drug that can make almost anything interesting.

    Either way, don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.
  • If you're a Madonna fan, you'll probably be disappointed with this one. And i guess there are a lot of non-fans out there who can hardly wait to disparage the movie. Nevertheless, Ms Ciccone did a good job in her directorial debut.

    Filth and Wisdom is clearly not a masterpiece, yet there is nothing wrong with this movie. It is the matter of personal preferences whether you like it or not. Besides, it features Eugene Hutz, whose role confirms everything you thought about him while listening to his band Gogol Bordello.

    I assume the story is partially based on Madonna's experience as a struggling artist after her arrival to New York. More than that, i see it as a subtle competition with her then-husband Guy Richie, since some aesthetic similarities with RocknRolla (2008) are visible, apart from the setting. She proved him she can direct a movie, divorced him and moved on with her life...
  • kate-v-davis17 February 2009
    OK, so let me just say that I came into this as a huge fan of Eugene Hutz and Gogol Bordello and while I don't enjoy her music, I like Madonna's persona and was very excited to see the film.

    On the upside, this movie did have some interesting ideas on, well... filth and wisdom, sex work and art. Unfortunately, the story-telling vehicle meant to get us to these ideas was so appalling that Mr. Hutz had to narrate them to us fairly explicitly. For ideas to work in a film WITHOUT an engrossing storyline, those ideas better be pretty profound (which these aren't) otherwise it just looks like the amateurish work of an angsty teen (which this did).

    To make it all the more disappointing, the character set ups were GOOD. I wanted to like and know about each of the three protagonists and their relationships to each other. Unfortunately, everything goes downhill after we meet them. Their back stories are only hinted at, their motives and personalities one-dimensional and their stated relationships lacked the slightest chemistry. The secondary characters were worse.

    So, what happened and who do we hold accountable for ruining this film? Someone was handed a great cast to play exciting characters, a nice little premise and some passable thematic ideas and yet it bombed. The real achievement of this film is that it managed to be as unwatchable as it was. The only real reason to sit through this pile is for the the sheer erotic thrill of seeing Eugene Hutz as a male dominatrix, and if that doesn't get you rocks off, then I'd just skip it all together.
  • Jesus wept. I wish that was all I could say about this blundering, self-indulgent idiot of a movie. I am still reeling from the public humiliation meted out to Eugene Hutz and Richard E Grant in this, as another commenter so aptly described it, car-crash of a movie.

    The script they were handed and the movie they ended up embroiled in was the equivalent of them being packed into a bright pink Lada, tweaked up to the gills on meth and viagra, naked, before being forcibly driven at top speed into an oncoming bus-load of school children, with a haul of child porn sitting conspicuously on the back seat.

    Madonna's unmistakable, drooling brand of pretentiousness is smeared all over this particular steaming pile of waste. Although pretentiousness might be a bit generous, as that would suggest at least an entry level modicum of intellect with which she had to work with; this is unadulterated idiocy.

    Watching this movie I was constantly reminded of that scene from A Fish Called Wanda where Klein, after being accused of being stupid, responds indignantly 'Do stupid people read Russian philosophy?'. Curtis' answer kept running laps around my attention span: 'Yes, they do, they just don't understand it.' This sums up the driving force behind the pretentious, empty-headed fumbles this movie attempts to make in an effort to inject it with some kind of profundity, the like of which will no doubt appeal to people who have never experimented with thinking before, but alas will leave anybody who can spell the word 'wheelbarrow' without spell check smacking their heads off the nearest hard surface with contempt for the foolishness being hurled in steaming handfuls at their functioning brains.

    They spray-painted Richard E Grant's hair gray for crying out loud. Not content with humiliating the man through the woeful string of drivel that was disingenuously entitled a script, they physically marked the man's person to make him look as foolish as the movie itself. There should be some kind of association for prevention of cruelty to actors set up if you ask me, Madonna would surely get the chair for what she did to Hutz and Grant. For shame...

    I've given this movie 1 point because I like Hutz and Grant, 1 point because I like Gogol Bordello who provide much of the music and style evident in the movie, and I would give it another point for the car-crash quality that kept me glued to it in disbelief, reveling perversely in how progressively terrible it kept getting by the second.

    It's that kind of morbid fascination you get if you smell a really bad fart, disgusting, repulsive, but morbidly fascinating that it can actually be that bad and actually be getting more repellent. But since there are clearly people commenting here who insist on over-rating this nonsense, waste-of-time testament to Madonna's failed education, I will withhold that third point.

    If you like Grant or Hutz, avoid this movie at all costs; it's like watching them ritually humiliated by an idiot in the crudest and most unfortunate of fashions for a length of time that could qualify for a human rights violation. You will weep for them. I wouldn't be surprised if Guy Richie decided to distance himself from his missus on the strength of having seen this movie alone.
  • I really liked the film. I admit I almost didn't go to see it because of all the bad press, but Im happy I did. And for those who haven't seen it and consider not to based on all the criticism, you really should go and see it for yourself.

    I wonder what these critics were really expecting? Something a little more Hollywood? And what do you consider to be a "good" movie, if you don't seem to like this one very much?

    I found the movie to be very honest. The only part I wasn't so convinced of was the the blind guy, his facial expressions didn't match the character, I think he smiled too much.

    But other than that, where is the problem? Have any of you ever worked as a Dominatrix or known any sex workers? Or professional dancers who turned to working at a strip club to earn a living? You say "cliché" but often clichés/stereotypes exist for a reason, because actual human beings (re)act in certain ways in certain situations.

    I think Madonna should feel proud of her work here! It was inspiring in its way, regardless of what some might say.
  • Saw this at the Berlinale. All I can say is it's an insufferable mess. Dreadful acting and a script so full of crass banalities that it almost collapses under its own dreadfulness.

    One to miss.

    The Material One says she's thinking of releasing this on the internet - small wonder. I doubt there's a distributor anywhere that would touch this appalling car-crash of a movie. The music is quite fun, to be fair and there is a lot of it (probably because there's really not much else - perhaps she should think about directing a rockumentary next time). The dialogue is full of pretentious, meaningless attempts at 'insight'. Sadly, you'd get more insight looking at an unwashed pair of underpants.
  • I cannot ever recall writing a review on this site before, but I felt compelled to after looking up the average rating out of curiosity and seeing a score of 5.1. Generally for any given film I can put my own taste aside and guess within half a point what the IMDb general consensus will be. I'd have gone here for something like 7.4 ... (and rated it 7 myself). Maybe as some other reviewer's have suggested, people's judgement has been affected by the hype and media around this film. I was fortunate enough to watch it knowing nothing about it and enjoying the ride. I found Eugene Hütz's character completely believable and felt the film managed to steer way clear of being pretentious yet telling an amusing story. OK, so it's no Trainspotting, but then again it is something different and in my opinion, worth a watch!
  • At least you could be forgiven thinking exactly that, if you look at the main player (also some sort of narrator) in Madonnas movie. Strangely (or maybe not) the movie seems to appeal more to women. I can't really explain this, but it did work better for woman. If it's only a Madonna star factor or a genuine nerve she hit with this one, is something I can't tell you ...

    I can tell you though, that the performances are good, in a strange kind of way. Let's say, that the movie has Madonna written all over itself. You will most likely, either hate or love the film. Off beat and although it looks like a mess, it can be a lot of fun. That is, if you let yourself into the mood of the movie. So leave the prejudices at the door or don't enter at all!
  • I saw this movie yesterday at the Berlinale.

    Going into the theater I thought it might be a dreadful film (after all there were some terrible comments running the net...) I must say though after just a ten minutes the film had gotten to me. It is funny and has quite a pace to it. Getting to know the different characters did not seem to be "set up" as it happens to be in quite a few movies.

    Despite the obvious humor the movie contains a lot to think about and even more to remember.

    I really would advice anyone to go and watch the movie as it is one of a kind. Just go in expecting nothing and you will receive everything...
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Much reviled film from Madonna is playing on IFC in Theaters. Having seen the film its clear that the hatred of the film is because of who the director is rather than what the film is. Basically the story of AK and his two roommates who are trying to simply get a leg up in the world. AK, played by Eugene Hutz in what I hope is a break through performance is a deeply philosophical Russian in a rock band who gets people to pay him to abuse them. The film is narrated by him as we see what he and his friends are going through. A small scale nothing of a film, this is the sort of film that probably wouldn't have been noticed much without Madonna in the directors chair. then again there is something very much alive in the film with great characters , odd relationships and very good music that raises it up a couple of notches. Clearly Madonna knows what she's doing behind the camera. I really do like the film. Its not the be all and end all, but there is something nicely alive about the film that makes it more than the by the numbers independent films it resembles. (And yes Richard E Grant is Wonderful)
  • Ok here we go with my review of Filth & Wisdom (2008 ) direted by pop star Madonna & written by her also , this long length short film is well abit bland to be honest , Madonna did hire good enough actors but it didn't hold my interest ! Not really it left me with that hmmmm feeling .Now some may say well it's her first diretal debut but it sure is a dissapointment , very much like her acting gigs & movies . There's nods to Madonna's music in the film ! Two tracks are used from her Erotica album (1992 ) Parts of the stroy lines are similar to her own journey .She started out in New York as a dancer in the late 70's , One of the lead actors is working as a dancer to make ends meet . Enough said
  • I watched this last night On-Demand and although it was lacking in some others, I still found it worth watching. Eugene Hutz is fabulous in everything he does so I fully understand Madonna basically making this film to highlight him and Gogol Bordello. My main issue with the film was the lack of comradery between the roommates. They were supposed to be very close and I never got that impression. And there was basically no back story on any of the characters. But I do get what Madonna was trying to do with this. She just fell short a little. But I think she's on the right track. Also, one of the main characters, Vicky McClure was quite good. I would like to see her in more films. But definitely see this if you are a fan of Gogol Bordello.
  • Well, here's something we can ALL add to that laundry list of labels/notions/concepts we ALL harbor about Madonna: She is a helluva lot better director than she is actress!!! Of course, maybe that's not really saying much, so make that..."LIGHT YEARS BETTER DIRECTOR THAN ACTOR!"

    Asmost of us are well aware.... Madonna has been re-inventing herself for like... over three decades.! That's what she does!

    I think this is, by far, her most surprising, most interesting and most promising re-invention to date! She's credited as Director, Co-Writer and executive producer. Who else but Madonna would come up with a Title like FILTH and WISDOM ?!?

    This is her baby. She has a lot invested in WISDOM receiving, at the very least, a modicum of both commercial and critical success.

    Quite frankly, I think it would be well-deserved. I've read that Madonna is both a micro-manager and a perfectionist. It's easy to see how both of these traits are reflected through and through in the final cut of WISDOM. The overlay of the music tracks with the visuals is truly inspired and borders on pure genius! Perhaps this aspect was just a tad too "In-Your-Face!", but knowing Madonna and her excesses, I would say some of them were rather low-key, considering their origin.

    Madonna has populated her film with a cast of starkly contrasting, singularly unique, true to life, rather dark and believable characters. The most shocking aspect of FILTH and WISDOM? Surprisingly, perhaps just the title! In retrospect, maybe a bad choice, considering it might scare off a lot of potential viewers who would have enjoyed its relatively tame rendition. There is no escaping this fact: Considering WISDOM is a first effort, we must give credit where credit is due and say that all considered, the Material Girl has turned in a rather surprising and oddly entertaining piece of work!
  • Warning: Spoilers
    "Filth and Wisdom" illustrates that growing up requires getting your hands dirty -- you can't gain wisdom by spending your life in a germ-free bubble. however, that's too many words for a title, so it's called "Filth and Wisdom" instead.

    imo, relative to current pop culture, there's no "filth", as such, in this movie, except for Eugene Hutz's filthy feet shoved in the face of the viewer during an otherwise moving scene, which shows the reconciliation of two sisters who had been feuding.

    indeed, the film would have been substantially improved if Eugene Lutz'z ego had been edited down from the size of the Titanic to, say, the Love Boat.

    nonetheless, this little indie film is a very warm-hearted look at the unavoidable conflict between the fact that society must have rules to be society, but humans must sometimes bend or even break these rules to be humans.
  • You can actually get pretty good insight by looking at an unwashed pair of underpants. You can tell a lot about a person by studying their hygiene habits. Also by noticing either an abundance or lack of stains, faults, holes, tears, overall condition, even what kind of underpants they are. So this tells me you don't know much about gaining insight from anything unless it's put in very literal terms for your struggling mind to understand. Anyone can sound like an expert on the internet, but I can tell by your forced attempts of using advanced vocabulary that you're not at all what you attempt to be. So don't waste peoples' time by trying to help them with deceiving remarks hiding your misunderstanding. Perhaps I am biased because I am a fan of Eugene Hutz, but I find it hard to believe anyone could get nothing out of this film. Sure anyone who dislikes Madonna will disregard it simply because of a childish hatred, but I do not care for her myself, and I still thoroughly enjoyed this film. Rarely do I comment films based on my opinion, and even more rarely do I rate one 10 out of 10 stars. I do this because I feel this film has been very misunderstood and unappreciated, as do I feel that the extremely biased general media has given it a bad hype it does not deserve. So I hope others may watch it with an open mind, and disregard your personal opinions of the crew and cast, and watch it as a film, and nothing more. If you do that there is really something to be appreciated here.
  • doctorbrodeur23 August 2009
    engaging, entertaining, real. i cannot believe this movie isn't constantly rated a solid ten. the characters are complex, the humour is stellar, the style of the film is irresistible.

    the main character played by eugene huts is an absolute hilarious scream, while still being an endearing, lovable personae. there is growth of character, aggressive scripting, constant action, and a feel good ending.

    all of this while dealing with personalities you will relate to and love. i am a constant critic of films, i typically am bored with every movie i enter, and this mosaic of artistic beauty did not once fail to entertain myself or my equally difficult to pleas entourage.

    if you have a powerful mind and a thirst for creative film making this film is for you. if you have a weak mind and prefer the pre-fab, boring plot lines and predictably flat, unreal characters Hollywood constantly churns out, go rent 'are we there yet?'
  • I was tempted to give it a 10 just to get the average up. This movie was hysterical. Such fun. Eugene Hutz is such a great personality, the music was energizing, the crazy characters were amusing as hell, to me at least.

    It did remind me of Borat-- tasteless in a delightful way. Yes, it's chaotic, but I think that's part of its style.

    It insults many ethnic groups with stereotyping, but since the distribution of insults was so even handed, I thought that was ok.

    If you are freaked out by sexuality, nudity, fetishes, ok, I get why you would not like it. You should avoid it. You will hate it.,and it will disturb you. I don't want you to be disturbed.

    It's not meant to be a serious movie, folks, it is entertainment.

    I don't like Madonna, particularly, but what difference does that make?