Madonna movie gets mixed reviews

BERLIN, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- "Filth and Wisdom," the film directorial debut of U.S. pop star Madonna, has earned critical notices that range from respectable to scathing.

The movie premiered Wednesday at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Although Madonna is one of the most successful female recording artists in history, she has not enjoyed the same acclaim as an actress and some critics have suggested she is no better skilled behind the camera.

"Is the film just bad, or truly atrocious?" Spiegel Online's columnist said in summing up the German press reaction to the film.

"She is absolutely not fated to be a star director," the reviewer said.

The critic at Die Tageszeitung agreed: "Madonna is super. ... She just can't do movies. She can't act, and now we know that she can't direct either ... Every plotline in the film is meaningless and all the actors are terrible."

The Times of London also noted the film's "clunkingly awful acting" and "a string of scenes that are so stagey they would fall over if they weren't propped up by the cinema screen."

However, the Times also proclaimed: "What saves the film is its sheer exuberance, and, of course, the music. ... 'Filth and Wisdom' shows Madonna has real potential as a film director."