AxelEchohawk

I was drawn into this movie and probably enjoyed it more than it deserved. It is hard to be objective when you're watching a eerily accurate depiction of one of your former girlfriends. The writing, acting and direction were superb. The three main characters - Tracey Gold (the psycho artist), Perry King (the gullible dad), and Shawnee Smith (the prescient daughter and roommate) played their roles with intensity and realism. It is interesting that Tracey Gold's character bares some resemblance to the real life singer/actress Madonna (minus the violence) noting that director Mary Lambert also directed several Madonna videos. This movie has a great plot with some nice turns and an especially, creepy and Hannibal-like ending. Woman as predator is always unnerving and counter intuitive but it reinforces the truth that all people are capable of doing the nastiest things to get what they want. Fortunately most of us are not intelligent and resourceful enough to pull off the level of deception portrayed in this movie.

Actually a very good TV movie. Terumi (love that name) Matthews played Madonna better than Madonna could play herself. I have read several interviews with, and short biographies of Madonna and she truly is a self-made woman. Many beautiful women have tried to sleep their way to the top - and Madonna certainly has a talent for that - but as the movie makes clear that is never enough. Matthews convincingly portrays a girl of immense energy, courage, audacity and talent who by hook or crook is determined to become a star. As Madonna grows into a woman she neither matures in grace nor gratitude but simply becomes even better a using the people around her to get what she wants. Yet she is not simply portrayed as a one-dimensional vampire but as a person deeply scarred by her mother's death and because of her parent's faith Madonna is also deeply angry with God. The movie does not go into Madonna's new found faith as expressed in Jewish Kabbalah mysticism (since it was made in 1994), nor her marriage and children and now children's books. So in that sense there is much more to tell of the Madonna story.