Review of Being Michael Madsen (2007) by Craig C — 28 Sep 2007

Bold. Ballsy independent film making. What a great little film. Touches on many themes of celebrity culture whilst being engaging enough to keep you entertained (tongue firmly in cheek).

Iâ??m not entirely sure how to define the film itself e.g. film within a film, contemporary Fellini on a shoe string (think La Dolce Vita), reality film, pseudo documentary - its all in there with a heavy dash of satire.

It is a lot of work but the performances from the cast are rock solid. This is a complete departure from Michael Madsen's usual hit or miss fare. It really shows many facets of the man beyond his Quentin Tarantino screen persona. I hope he gets some decent roles soon that do not involve throwing Segal out of windows :-). On the whole an enjoyable coaster ride but you do have to do some work - this is not just eye candy.

If I had to crit: The final scene (not the climax) may be a little weak - in the context of viewing it at the Raindance Film Festival with the cast & crew doing a Q & A afterwards it was awesome. However I suspect for anyone not watching the film with the live accompaniment may not be swept away by the final scene.

Standout performances by Virginia Madsen, Jason Alan Smith, Doug Tompos, Davis Mikaels & Kathy Searle. Harry Dean Stanton is hilarious.

Iâ??m looking forward to Michael Mongilloâ??s next production which will no doubt go from strength to strength..