dragokin If you're a Madonna fan, you'll probably be disappointed with this one. And i guess there are a lot of non-fans out there who can hardly wait to disparage the movie. Nevertheless, Ms Ciccone did a good job in her directorial debut.Filth and Wisdom is clearly not a masterpiece, yet there is nothing wrong with this movie. It is the matter of personal preferences whether you like it or not. Besides, it features Eugene Hutz, whose role confirms everything you thought about him while listening to his band Gogol Bordello.I assume the story is partially based on Madonna's experience as a struggling artist after her arrival to New York. More than that, i see it as a subtle competition with her then-husband Guy Richie, since some aesthetic similarities with RocknRolla (2008) are visible, apart from the setting. She proved him she can direct a movie, divorced him and moved on with her life...

kate-v-davis OK, so let me just say that I came into this as a huge fan of Eugene Hutz and Gogol Bordello and while I don't enjoy her music, I like Madonna's persona and was very excited to see the film.On the upside, this movie did have some interesting ideas on, well... filth and wisdom, sex work and art. Unfortunately, the story-telling vehicle meant to get us to these ideas was so appalling that Mr. Hutz had to narrate them to us fairly explicitly. For ideas to work in a film WITHOUT an engrossing storyline, those ideas better be pretty profound (which these aren't) otherwise it just looks like the amateurish work of an angsty teen (which this did).To make it all the more disappointing, the character set ups were GOOD. I wanted to like and know about each of the three protagonists and their relationships to each other. Unfortunately, everything goes downhill after we meet them. Their back stories are only hinted at, their motives and personalities one-dimensional and their stated relationships lacked the slightest chemistry. The secondary characters were worse. So, what happened and who do we hold accountable for ruining this film? Someone was handed a great cast to play exciting characters, a nice little premise and some passable thematic ideas and yet it bombed. The real achievement of this film is that it managed to be as unwatchable as it was. The only real reason to sit through this pile is for the the sheer erotic thrill of seeing Eugene Hutz as a male dominatrix, and if that doesn't get you rocks off, then I'd just skip it all together.

mjrusso1 A profound idea and Madonna put together sounds like a futile attempt to mix water and oil, but, being a guy who likes both Hutz as an actor and indie film alone should all by itself be testament to my willingness to be open-minded about unusual forms of art and interpretation. So, I watched Filth And Wisdom with no preconceived notions even after reading so many bad reviews.Now that I've seen it, I'll just say that this film makes no effort to force you to think and ask questions, but simply lays out the overall message up front then just goes through the motions of showing it. There were moments of potential, but at no point did I even remotely wonder how things might turn out for each character in the end. It just didn't occur to me to care enough.In short, if you're a fan of Hutz's former roles in acting, no less Gogol Bordello, you'll probably enjoy seeing Hutz play himself in this role at most, which features a scene of Gogol Bordello performing at the end. Filth and Wisdom, however, doesn't even come close to what you might have walked away with in Everything Is Illuminated. This film is just Madonna's effort to cash in on a new spotlight that no longer shines on her, in my opinion.If you have no clue who Eugine Hutz or Gogol Bordello is and can care less, on the other hand, I advise you avoid this movie all together..... unless you're on a drug that can make almost anything interesting.Either way, don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.

Raddish72 I watched this last night On-Demand and although it was lacking in some others, I still found it worth watching. Eugene Hutz is fabulous in everything he does so I fully understand Madonna basically making this film to highlight him and Gogol Bordello. My main issue with the film was the lack of comradery between the roommates. They were supposed to be very close and I never got that impression. And there was basically no back story on any of the characters. But I do get what Madonna was trying to do with this. She just fell short a little. But I think she's on the right track. Also, one of the main characters, Vicky McClure was quite good. I would like to see her in more films. But definitely see this if you are a fan of Gogol Bordello.