User reviews

As a simple concert video, this one is above average. But the title is very misleading. First let's deal with the 'truth' aspect. Madonna's friends pop in on her - Warren Beatty, Sandra Bernhart - but you get little in the way of glimpses into her relationships with others. You see Madonna playing Mother Hen to her backup performers, but you get the sense that she isn't very close to any of them. Thus, even though this is supposed to be an expose of Madonna's true private life, there is so little of this on screen that the audience is denied a genuine insider's view. And when Madonna deals with the business aspects of her tour, the boardroom door closes on the camera and the audience. This aspect of the life of a performer so well known for her product-image management might potentially be the most fascinating part of the tour, but the audience is kept outside. And compared to some of what Madonna has done on the screen, this is so far below her usual standards of shock as to hardly qualify as 'daring'. It is worth a watch, but beware of a stretching of the 'truth' when it comes to packaging.

It's 1990 on Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour. She, her circle of dancers, and performers travel from Japan to North America and all around the world. It has behind-the-scenes as well as her concert performances. There are her friends and family. Her brother is hanging around and she goes to her mother's grave. In Toronto, the cops threaten to charge her for indecency. It's mostly filmed in black and white. The thing about Madonna is one is never sure about when the performance starts and ends. I doubt she's completely faking anything but she can be overly dramatic. When cops show up in Toronto, they do imply a threat but one can see a glint in her eyes where she sees an opportunity to rally around the first amendment. There is the dancer faux boyfriend and a girl claiming rape. One can never be sure about anything with Madonna.

Nothing surprising is revealed in this documentary. Perhaps ten years ago, when the film came out, it stunned many fans and non-fans. But Madonna has remained in the spotlight ever since, and thanks to magazines, interviews, MTV, VH-1, not to mention her music, video, book and film work since 1991, we've seen most of the stuff in this documentary already. Plus, Madonna shows us only what she wants us to see. There are a few moments when the camera suddenly shuts off, like when she confesses that Sean Penn was the love of her life. She also talks about her huge crush on Antonio Banderas, and when he snubs her, she jokingly admits that she will never work with him (obviously she was kidding because she worked with him in Evita). When she's playful and in good spirits, she's fun to watch. But in the end, this is really a vanity project, instead of the completely "naked" documentary it was supposed to be. That probably suits her diehard fans just fine, but regular viewers are hoping to see more than her "attitude" backstage, long footage of her explicit onstage material, constant vulgarity, and high-maintenance daily rituals.

At one point in "Truth or Dare," Madonna confesses to one of her dancers that she is neither a great dancer nor a great singer. The concert footage throughout the film indicates that she is not engaging in false humility. Her dancing is awkward and her singing merely pleasant. But do not be deceived for the woman does have talent. Toward the end of this piece of imitation cinema verite, Madonna demonstrates her "technique" on a bottle of Vichi water, pumping the neck in and out of her mouth before tilting her head back to swallow a gush of liquid. Yes, this seems to be where Madonna Ciccone's true talent lies but, as is the case with her musical abilities, it would seem Madonna is still a pretender. When interviewed by actress Carrie Fisher in Rolling Stone a few years ago, the world's most famous female sex symbol confessed that she doesn't perform the act she demonstrated in "Truth or Dare" because she's afraid of choking to death. Hmm. Is there anything genuine about this woman?

I must say I enjoy watching the scantily clad Madonna prance around the stage, and I even enjoy some of her music. "Live to Tell," her theme for former hubby Sean Penn's film "At Close Range" is quite lovely, and "Like a Prayer" has a nice dramatic feel. But I suspect that everybody, even her most devoted fans, realize that Madonna is a cultural phenomenon for reasons that have little to do with music. To be a phenomenon for whatever reason is no small feat, of course, but in the future I predict that her "performances" will be reduced to mere artifacts of little value on their own. They have all the substance of a presidential candidate's campaign buttons.

Poor Kevin Costner turns up backstage at one of Madonna's L.A. concerts and, after thanking her for the invite, declares her show "neat," a word that causes Madonna to stuff her fingers in her throat to feign vomiting. Because it gives the audience a backstage view of this shallow but provocative woman, "Truth or Dare" is kind of "neat." Like "Gimme Shelter," the documentary about the Rolling Stones, and "This is Elvis," it stands on its own as a film that can prove interesting even to viewers who are not fans of the subject.

As a documentary, this movie is excellent. It takes us behind the scenes of one of the most successful and most elaborate music tours produced in recent times. We take a peek at Madonna's private life including her likes and dislikes, her friends, her hectic schedule, and her incredible ambition of staying at the top. But most importantly, we take a close look at how she influences everyone around her. Madonna fans, especially those that attended the Blond Ambition Tour, will really enjoy Truth or Dare.

I don't know sh*t about Madonna. I know that the media has a fixation on her aging (how dare she have a wrinkle at 57-years-old?), that she almost died at this year's Brit Awards while performing "Living for Love", that she sliced censors in half during her controversial 1994 interview with David Letterman, that Robert Christgau thinks she's a pop genius, that the gays love her, that she's, all right, clinging to her youth. But still, I hardly know anything about Madonna. Maybe I could barely sing the chorus to "Holiday", but that's all. I'd recognize her if she were to walk down my street. I saw her in "Dick Tracy" once. She was pretty good in that.

I suppose I was expecting "Truth or Dare" to have a sort of "Vogue" tinged romanticism, painting Madonna as a pop figure still untouchable, like how "Ready to Wear" made the fashion world funny, nowhere near realistic, but was all the better for it. For all the cultural bullshit that misunderstands her, "Truth or Dare" dares you to hate and love the pop superstar at the same time, wanting you to scoff at her need to be the STAR of every moment, wanting you to appreciate her relentless work ethic, her need to be an entertainer at the top of their game. And like all good documentaries (and why this one is so damn good), the film is riveting for everyone, outsiders and insiders alike. I wasn't a Madonna fan before the documentary nor will I be afterward, but as a rock documentary, "Truth or Dare" stands as one of the finest.

Recording the entirety of her 1990 Blond Ambition tour, the film is essentially an inside-look into what a day, a night, a week, a month, a year, looks like for Madonna. (Or maybe it just seems that way: a master of camera manipulation, she may just as well be putting on a show.) Photographed in grainy black-and-white, save for the colored (and obligatory) stage performances, "Truth or Dare" is more warty than glamorized, emphasizing her vulnerabilities, need to be the center of attention, and her wicked sense of humor (she seems to laugh more when people are having a hard time than when everyone is having a ball).

I couldn't care less about the complicated choreographic sets that circle around renditions of "Like a Virgin", "Express Yourself", "Holiday", among others; what makes "Truth or Dare" engaging is its frank candidness. Behind the scenes, Madonna notices that the majority of her young dancers are insecure and need mothering; strange, she remarks, how she likes to be a matriarch, to give her stage family someone to confide in. We catch glimpses of her short relationship with "Dick Tracy" co-star Warren Beatty, who scoffs at the fact that real-life doesn't seem to matter to her unless it is captured on camera. Cameos abound, featuring pop-ups from Pedro Almodóvar, Kevin Costner, Antonio Banderas, and Al Pacino. But there are three truly great scenes in the film, where Madonna doesn't seem to be putting on a show, where she doesn't seem to be trying to make herself look a certain way for the cameras.

Best is her reaction to Kevin Costner, who comes backstage for one show and describes the production as neat; disgusted, she gags, remarking "Anybody who says my show is 'neat' has to go." Later, an old friend (pre-fame old) meets Madonna in the hallway of her hotel, asking her to be the godmother to her soon-to-be born child. Though it is clear that the women were close back in the day, Madonna blows her off; she doesn't want to be a mother any time soon, and she doesn't have time to waste time with non-celebrities from the past. And in one of the closing scenes, she infamously models what a blow job from Madonna would look like on a glass bottle. Minutes later, she describes her true love as Sean Penn, heartbroken, regretful.

Fakery of course comes around — the scene where she visits her mother's grave doesn't feel all too sincere, rather the documentarian's hope to make appear feel bare- bones hopeless — but "Truth or Dare", ultimately, is a winning documentary that makes the once chart-dominating pop-star more fascinating, and timeless, than ever.

This is a very revealing look at a sociopathic individual who laughs at a woman's rape, does anything for attention, flaunts social norms, goes after a married man with no sense of guilt or shame. Madonna might be the most famous "singer" of the twentieth century but she's also one of its most horrid humans.

I do remember this one was released as In Bed with Madonna here in the UK back in the day and it made a few ripples. In fact, it became the highest grossing documentary of all time until Bowling for Columbine came along over ten years later. Having finally just seen it, I can't believe I waited until now to check it out, as this is a superb back-stage look at La Ciccone at arguably the apex of her powers. The film adopts a black and white cinéma vérité style, with colour concert footage interspersed throughout. Events take place during her 1990 'Blond Ambition Tour' which was in support of her iconic 'Like a Prayer' album.

Given that she is regarded as one who is known for controlling her career and image with an iron fist, its more than likely that she is putting up a front here and really performing as herself. Yet, this is part of who she is and you still learn a lot about Madonna here regardless. The backstage stuff is pretty priceless, with all manner of shenanigans going on, from her refusing to bow to police demands in Toronto where she is threatened with the cancellation of her show if she simulates masturbation on stage to the comical moment where a hapless (and impressively mulleted) Kevin Costner makes the epic mistake of describing her show as 'neat' (Madonna's supremely negative reaction to this is worth the price of admission alone). There is back-stage dramas with her and her crew, some diva like behaviour and several celebrity encounters. In amongst all that there is a selection of top tunes from the tour - it really does make me wish I had attended this myself (even if the nearest gig was admittedly Wembley Stadium several hundred miles away!). Anyway, this doc is a pretty good snap-shot of the 'Blond Ambition' tour/era and a genuine superstar at the height of her powers - it does go some way to illustrate how vivacious, hard-working and unique she was.

I have always been fascinated with Madonna. I feel that she has been unfairly maligned over the years, as are many who stretch the envelope with new ideas and thinking.

I have to admit I tuned into this documentary just to see Pedro Almodovar. I hadn't realized that Madonna had a thing for Antonio Bandaras and she got to meet him at a party thrown in her honor by Almodovar. Unbelievable, that she lost out to Melanie Griffith.

Seeing Madonna backstage shines a whole new light on her and makes her out to be someone who really cares about putting on a good show and, more importantly, shows her as someone who loves every - black, white, gay, straight - it doesn't matter. Everyone except Kevin Costner, who had the audacity to call her show "neat."

The ersatz Madonna 'documentary' offers proof of the Material Girl's genius for self-promotion, pretending to be a candid behind-the-scenes portrait of her Blond Ambition tour when it's really just selling a lot of self-conscious backstage posturing, sandwiched between the expected MTV concert footage. Some fashionably grainy black-and-white photography gives the film a spurious air of raw slice-of-life candor, but the whole thing is one long public relations whitewash, no less calculated than her elaborate stage show and often just about as substantial. At times it seems the only purpose of the film is to reinforce the singer's image as some sort of blue-collar angel/whore, with strong maternal instincts toward her dancing troupe. Nothing else about her is revealed, except for a purely mercenary streak of exhibitionism, hardly front-page news. But there's a peculiar irony in watching Madonna (of all people) try to act natural with a camera lens constantly in her face; the effort to simply be herself can almost be called the best 'performance' of her career.

I feel that this film shows Madonna at her best. Sure, there are some embarrassing moments but isn't that what is so great about the whole film? Here, we get to see Madonna as the bossy control-freak, as the carer, as the organiser, as the comedienne and more. As Madonna once said, the film is worth about 5 years of psychoanalysis so why not see it and find out about the real Madonna? You might not like her; but you can't help but love this film.

Pop singer Madonna's 1990 tour takes her and her troupe to different cities, where she inevitably butts heads with authorities, locks horns with boyfriend Warren Beatty and her management, and covers emotional hurdles, though not always with grace, tact or ease. If anything, this documentary exposes her human side, which is seldom apparent in her acting roles. Of course this was probably her intention, as she always has her eye out for the camera (and it is always on top of her, with shots lasting seconds too long--just in case something vital may be missed). The black-and-white photography off-stage is grainy and over-bright, a strain on the eyes, but the color concert sequences--though they tend to go on too long--are pretty incredible. Many moving, exhilarating moments, no matter how you personally feel about the Diva. **1/2 from ****

I watched this movie for the first time in 2009, almost twenty years after its release and this proves I am not a big Madonna fan. In fact, I never particularly liked or disliked her. I thought she was "cool" in "Desperately seeking Susan", but that was the "Into the Groove" time, when she had just started her rise.

The "Blonde Ambition" tour was probably the top of Madonna's career, and this would-be documentary shows her at her most unbearable. Somebody mentioned that it shines a light on her "human" side (as if she was some sort of alien), but in truth she comes across as a controlling, pretentious bitch who goes out of her way to humiliate and annoy people. Hardly the best human side one can show. Even the visit to her mother's grave is disgustingly theatrical. Instead of making you feel sorry for the child of five who lost her mum it makes you feel sorry for the spoiled brat she became.

Of course we all know that Madonna built her career on sex and the Catholic religion and by now I doubt anybody would be shocked by her swinging crucifix or her masturbation. However, tasteful it was not... and still isn't. The part filmed on stage is disappointing because some of songs performed are just not good, no matter how much sex is thrown in to spice them.

The "documentary" part is embarrassing to watch. It was interesting for me to see that Madonna had a crush on Antonio Banderas, but at the time he was married with a pretty Spanish lady (who looked a lot better both of Madonna and Melanie Griffith). Warren Beatty makes the only decent comment about the whole filming, but he is also brushed off and humiliated, not to mention the poor Costner.

I am not a Costner fan either, but his comment sounded rather sarcastic to me ("Neat" applied to the overbearing and vulgar show sounds like a sarcastic way to say "It sucked"), but looks like Madonna did not get the joke. She definitely takes herself very seriously when she describes herself as an "artist" who will not change anything in her show, even if she risks to get arrested for "indecent exposure" or any such like - very unlikely - charge.

Finally, when she talks to her father she is so arrogant and dismissive that I felt sorry for the poor guy. She even uses the word "chatartic" with the intent of confuse her father; but looks like she herself had no clue as to what that word means.

Madonna was an icon of the 80's and early 90's and possibly a decent singer, but for sure she was never a great actress and definitely not somebody with any sense of humor.

Between 1987 and 1993, Madonna underwent the most controversial period of her life. This documentary highlights one of the most notorious events right in the midst of that period of controversy: her 1990 "Blond Ambition" tour, which spanned four months and took place in Japan, North America, and Europe. The tour was way ahead of its time, featuring innovative music, tour-de-force dance moves, magnificent sets, and dazzling costumes designed by French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. It turned out to be arguably the best concert ever (certainly Madonna's best concert to date). At the same time, the tour was considered blasphemous for involving the use of religious images and symbols, and it was called racy because of simulated sexual acts that were performed on stage.

What's noteworthy about this documentary is that it shows a behind-the-scenes look at, not just the tour, but also Madonna's life during the tour's run. On stage (and backstage) she's a hard and demanding diva. Yet, this film enables viewers to see another side of Madonna, who according to Warren Beatty, doesn't want to live off-camera. You get to see Madonna surrounded by different people: her entourage, her family, and other celebrities...but you also get to see her all by herself in some scenes. In one scene you hear someone compare Madonna to a little girl lost in a storm. One can only wonder if Madonna, who although is the biggest star in the world, could be the loneliest person in the world. I saw this documentary when it played in theaters, back in 1991, and it was great to see it on the big screen. I especially enjoyed seeing the scenes of the actual concert. I now own this film on DVD. This documentary was definitely the perfect medium with which to immortalize the then-controversial, pre-motherhood Madonna at the height of her career.

This is Madonna at her best while during the prime of her music career. Although the film was released in 1991, Truth or Dare actually takes place during the summer of 1990, as Madonna went around the globe on her Blonde Ambition tour. This documentary / music film is a piece of history of not only of Madonna back in the day but what the styles and sounds of the year where like. Boy does it bring back memories! From spandex biker shorts, to that famous cone bra, and not to forget the hairstyles... its really great to watch and think back of what life was like when "Vogue" was her biggest hit to date. She is so revealing, funny, demanding, and warm at heart. It shows the no nonsense business side of her and the sad reflective side of her as she thinks about her mother who died when she was so very young. The film is packed with celebrities, including Warren Beatty, whom she dated while filming his blockbuster film, Dick Tracy. It shows the lives of her dancers, backup singers, and the crew behind the stage as they all mingle around her and do their best for camera time. LOL But in the end, there is no brighter star than Madonna. To this day she is still pushing buttons, creating great music, and daring us all to watch. And just like this film, I think its safe to say she accomplished what she set out to do.

I have seen the Blond Ambition on TV from Nice, France in 1990, and I became a Madonna fan ever since. This movie documents Madonna's tour from Japan and finishes in France. So we get for the first time a look at Madonna's entourage, and her behaviour towards them after the show finishes. At the time it was an interesting idea, and Madonna wanted to show the positive and negative side of human behaviour. All the show's footage is in colour and the behind the scenes are in black and white, and was filmed on 35mm to give a look that's more cinematic. As a fan I believe the Yokohama, Japan show was a better version, and would like to have seen a more global release. Madonna was at the height of her fame when this documentary was created, and is still just as famous today.

Madonna at the peak of her psycho ego, yelling at everyone and marching around like a goddess. Really silly stuff that is worth some unintended laughs. Watch the Princess constantly make enraged demands, and have hissy-fits when she feels anyone has failed to live up to her expectations.

I do not listen to Madonna. What I've heard I've enjoyed, but for the most part I don't go out of my way to hear her music. As an actress she's never really impressed me and personally some of the tabloid stuff has rubbed me the wrong way and I just don't find her interesting anymore. In general I find celebrities who rely on tabloids for regenerating popularity (e.g. Paris Hilton) despicable, and Madonna does this quite often. Just as the tabloids stopped carrying lies about her, she kisses Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera on-stage and we endure another year of tabloid speculation.

"Truth or Dare" was a "documentary" made in 1991 that followed Madonna on her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour, which was highly controversial. This is where she did all sorts of sexual stuff on stage including (simulating) masturbation on the floor of the podium.

The documentary is really sleazy and basically follows the sex goddess as she candidly discusses...sex. Wow, how original.

One scene in the documentary has all the people on her music crew climbing into her bed and they talk about all sorts of taboo stuff and she gets two of the guys to kiss each other.

It's not even interesting in a car-crash kind of way, where it's so shocking you can't take your eyes off it. It's just plain boring and controversial for the sake of being so. Seen 15 years later, it just looks outdated, smug and annoying.

Madonna is the coach that everyone wishes they could break down and talk to on the same level. Sure, nobody knows who exactly Madonna is. This is what makes her so brilliant. It is obvious she was hamming it up and portraying a "character" which she wanted everyone to see. If Madonna didn't act like a "bitch" she wouldn't be where she is today.