Being Michael Madsen

Michael Mongillo's wicked satire on obsession with celebrities recasts veteran tough guy Michael Madsen as a piece of self-destructive tabloid fodder who plans revenge on a photojournalist (Jason Alan Smith) who has been relentlessly stalking him. Madsen fights fire with fire by hiring three documentary filmmakers (Davis Mikaels, Doug Tompos, Kathy Searle) to level an identical degree of relentless coverage against his target. However, the trio have their own issues that continually muck up the plan. Revealing more would damage the genuine surprises that bubble up along the way, although Mongillo's savage thrust at the culture of celebrity infatuation says volumes about the media's misplaced priorities and the general public's gluttonous hunger for any scrap of news (accurate or otherwise) on top stars. The mockumentary format offers Madsen a golden opportunity to display his hitherto untapped talent for ironic comedy, and he tells his story with a semi-remorseful pain that is hilariously at odds with his macho, leather-clad physical appearance. Daryl Hannah, Harry Dean Stanton, the late David Carradine, and Virginia Madsen (the star's sister) provide amusing Greek chorus commentary, while B-movie icon Debbie Rochon has a hilarious cameo as the object of a voyeuristic detour. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)