Review of Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) by Jeffrey L — 16 Sep 2012

Madonna fans (there are quite a few), get ready to learn about the many sides of her you have not seen. In Truth or Dare, we get to go behind the scenes of her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour to see what goes on behind stage. Though revolting at times (this is Madonna, keep in mind), the provocative footage leads for an interesting character study centering on one of the most famous female entertainers in pop culture history. Though not recommended for all movie buffs, even those not interested in Madonna may find this documentary fascinating, nevertheless.

Filmed mostly in black and white (except colorized for the musical segments), Madonna's die hard fans should be overjoyed to get to know the person she is while not recording or performing. Considering how far she has taken her career, many surely are curious as to how she has done it all. Many viewers may see most of her lusty and somewhat obnoxious behavior as off-putting; though she does occasionally go deep with her discussions and dialogues, showcasing her alter ego. Whether someone would want to learn this or not may depend upon their tolerance for Madonna's excessive obscenity and fascination with the male sex organ.

The film certainly covers a lot as her tour covers 27 cities worldwide and sold out nearly every show. Not all of it seems necessary and makes the last half of the film longer than necessary (especially a never-ending gay pride scene), but the concept still remains fascinating and gives us a chance to know Madonna as more than strictly an entertainer. One may want to pay particular attention to footage of Oliver Crumes Jr., Kevin Alexander Stea and Gabriel Trupin (three of Madonna's male dancers) as they later filed a lawsuit for invasion of privacy, fraud and deceit and intentional misrepresentation. Released theatrically as Truth or Dare but changed to Madonna: Truth or Dare for video release.