Filth and Wisdom

2008, Romance/Music, 1h 21m

63 Reviews 1,000+ Ratings

What to know

critics consensus

Filth and Wisdom, while certainly ambitious, is mostly unconvincing and incoherent. Read critic reviews

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Filth and Wisdom Photos

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Movie Info

Three London flat-mates (Eugene Hutz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure) toil at demeaning jobs while dreaming of better lives.
  • Genre:
    Romance, Music
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Madonna
  • Producer:
    Nicola Doring
  • Writer:
    Dan Cadan, Madonna
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     limited
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $22.4K
  • Runtime:
  • Distributor:
    IFC Films

Cast & Crew

Eugene Hutz
A.K.
Holly Weston
Holly
Vicky McClure
Juliette
Richard E. Grant
Professor Flynn
Elliot Levey
Business Man
Inder Manocha
Sardeep
Francesca Kingdon
Francine
Clare Wilkie
Chloe
Stephen Graham
Harry Beecham
Shobu Kapoor
Sardeep's Wife
Olegar Fedoro
A.K.'s Father
Madonna
Director
Dan Cadan
Writer
Madonna
Writer
Nicola Doring
Producer
Madonna
Executive Producer
Tim Maurice-Jones
Cinematographer
Russell Icke
Film Editing
Gideon Ponte
Production Design
Daniel Hubbard
Casting
Max Bellhouse
Art Director
Jill Nichols
Set Decoration
B. Akerlund
Costume Design
Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Filth and Wisdom

All Critics (63) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (16) | Rotten (47)
Full Review… Kaleem Aftab Independent (UK) Full Review… Ben Kenigsberg Time Out Full Review… Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Full Review… Ben Mankiewicz At the Movies Full Review… Ben Lyons At the Movies Full Review… Peter Howell Toronto Star Full Review… Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Full Review… Fr. Chris Carpenter Orange County and Long Beach Blade Full Review… Brian Orndorf BrianOrndorf.com Full Review… Sarah Boslaugh Playback:stl Full Review… Todd Gilchrist IGN Movies Full Review… Jim Slotek Jam! Movies
View All Critic Reviews (63)

Audience Reviews for Filth and Wisdom

  • Sep 12, 2011
    Is Madonna's "Filth and Wisdom" as bad as you've heard? Well, I have to say yes. When the film came out, it was savaged by critics and pulled from circulation in just a few days. I suspected the critics were being overly negative, as they are wont to do when a woman artist takes risks. But in this case the extreme pans were deserved. "Filth and Wisdom" is almost as bad as Joaquin Phoenix's spectacularly stupid and self-indulgent "I'm Still Here" (2010). The only redeeming value is that the bits with Eugene Hutz, lead singer of the band Gogol Bordello, do occasionally become interesting. I suspect that Hutz could turn into something of a darling of underground cinema. He would just require a director and writer who's got more going on upstairs than Madonna. I yield to no one in my appreciation for Madonna, but it can't be denied: she's no thinker. And she's not much of a natural behind the camera either. Most of the scenes in "Filth and Wisdom" looked to me like they were directed by an eight-year-old, and not a particularly smart or interesting one.
    William D Super Reviewer
  • Nov 07, 2009
    I don't see what the point of this was. I love Madonna, but obviously more so in front of the camera than behind.
    Sarah P Super Reviewer
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