I am obviously a thundering shill for Madonna whether she's making terrible movies with her ex-husband or making terrible movies with Griffin Dunne, but there's something about W.E.'s self-serious, accidental telenovela that's not even watchably bad. It's just humorless and overlong -- though Andrea Riseborough is fabulous as the polarizing Wallis Simpson. In a new 24-minute documentary about Madonna's big feature, the director and her cast do their best to sell their watercolored biopic, and I tell you what? They do a good job. Don't ask me to explain it. But James D'Arcy still looks like Anthony Perkins, so shut up and start crying in adoration.
Here's what strikes me as a little misguided:
1) The extreme importance placed upon the costuming and jewelry. W.E. feels like a De Beers commercial with all its slow-motion carat porn.
2) Wallis Simpson is an interesting historical figure, but there's no there there in terms of a satisfying character arc. Madonna has always loved controversial women, but she's ultimately too tame an iconoclast for such a lengthy movie.
Still, I dig Madonna's commentary here. It gives me hope for a decent follow-up feature -- though if you ask me, she should try her hand at directing an all-female comic ensemble. If her acting past is any indication, that's her surest bet for success.
• W.E. - Promotional Documentary [YouTube]