Madonna and The Breakfast Club (2019) – Summary, Review (with Spoilers)
Madonna and the Breakfast Club takes a rarely seen approach to fleshing out a icons career in the best way.
[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Madonna and the Breakfast Club crafts an interesting way to document a segment of a world-renowned figure’s life by mixing interviews, archival footage, and almost biopic worthy casting.
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| Director(s) | Guy Guido | |
| Written By | Guy Guido | |
| Date Released | 3/12/2019 | |
| Genre(s) | Documentary, Biopic | |
| Good If You Like | Madonna
Learning About Superstars Before They Were Famous |
|
| Isn’t For You If You | Don’t Like Madonna
Feel The Figure Spoken About Should Actively Be Part Of The Production |
|
| Noted Cast | ||
| Himself | Dan Gilroy | |
| Himself | Ed Gilroy | |
| Madonna | Jamie Auld | |
Madonna and the Breakfast Club Plot Summary
From Madonna landing in Queens in 1979 to her rise as a pop star on the eve of MTV’s founding, we trek the early years of one of the queens of Pop music. However, it isn’t just about her early years, like losing her mom, or her struggles as a dancer. It also notes some of her early supporters, for better or worse, and has interviews with Dan and Ed Gilroy who were detrimental to her surviving in New York and getting started in the music industry. Long before she had a famous, or infamous, look, or was a solo star. Thus giving you the behind the music portion of the icon’s career which some would pass over as they jump from Detroit, to her being a nude model, right to signing with Sire Records and her first albums.
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Highlights
Reenactments Paired With Interviews And Archival Photographs
While many a crime show on TruTV, among other networks, use reenactments paired with interviews and archival footage, I’ve never seen that done with documentaries on musicians. Something that, arguably, should be done more for even with Madonna not taking part in this, Jamie Auld as Madonna is cast so well you’d think this was a biopic. For whether it is the look, sass, or determination, she is Madonna and draws you in the same way the superstar does.
So with the way we have the Gilroys, pictures, and reenactments meld together, it feels like you are getting a full picture of what happened. Making the only thing missing is Madonna herself saying how she felt.
It Has You Care About The Gilroys and Others Who Were There In The Early Years
Though I wouldn’t dare to claim I remember every person interviewed or mentioned, I can say I was left with a grasp on who they were and their significance. Making it so, as much as you come for Madonna, you also get a feel of who this person was to her, who they were outside of Madonna being in their life, and feeling like they aren’t just trying to siphon some fame off a recognizable name or remind Madonna they still exist. They are treated like people in the same universe who, for a few chapters in their life, happened to share their lives with Madonna but by no means is that the absolute highlight. It’s just a fun story to tell which they are sharing with the world.
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On The Fence
Sometimes It Gets A Bit Dry
It should be noted, music wise, you may not hear anything which will make you clamor for a soundtrack. Also, the guys who talk about Madonna aren’t the most animated or geared towards being superb storytellers. Mind you, this is compensated for by the reenactments, but when they are talking about their lives, outside of what Madonna did, it is hard not to drift off a bit.
Overall: Positive (Worth Seeing) | Purchase, Rent, or Get Merchandise On Amazon
For those who love Madonna, or were really into her at one time, this makes for a nice warm-up piece until her biopic is officially done. Heck, I’d even say Auld work in this makes for an immaculate audition tape. Leading to why the positive label: Between how it mixes interviews, archival footage, and reenactments with Auld’s casting, this feels like it lays the groundwork for what is inevitably to come. Also, it pushes the idea that while the spectacle of a full-blown biopic might be hard to compete with, there are other styles which could work in recapping legendary careers which should be done to show some diversity.
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