Madonna: Innocence Lost (1994) - full transcript

The early years of the entertainer's career are chronicled.

-Hey.
-Hey.

Well, you look terrific.

You know, I didn't expect it
to be this way.

-What way?
-Well, where is everybody?

I expected to have a roomful
of friends and family.

I mean, it's my first time on TV.

Where's the celebration?

Get used to it, Madonna.
This is the way it is.

-Hey, where are you going?
-Got a sound check.

You're gonna be great out there.

My name's Madonna Ciccone.



I/ was born and raised
in Detroit, Michigan...

...where I began my career
in petulance and precociousness...

...much to the dismay of my father.

From an early age, I couldn't decide
if I wanted to be a nun or a movie star.

Nine months of convent school
helped me make up my mind.

After my Mom died, Dad raised me
in a strict Italian Catholic tradition.

1 probably wouldn't have
turned out this way...

...if I didn't have all those
old-fashioned values to rebel against.

Sister Immaculata, it's so nice to see you
on, this, the Feast of Our Lady.

--Shall be revealed.

And all flesh shall see it together...

...for the mouth of the Lord
hath spoken it.

The voice said, "Cry."
And he said, "I shall cry."

All flesh and humanity shall cry...



...in the goodness
and the flowers of the field.

You missed the homily.

- It was about humility and obedience.
-Let us pray.

Dear Father...

...we are gathered here together
to give thanks for all you have given us.

Are you okay, honey?

In the spirit of Christ, amen.

Let us all rise.

Leaving my father was one
of the hardest decisions of my life.

He always gave me
his lave and support.

When I was a kid, he promised me
a quarter for every A I brought home.

Needless to say,
I became rich at a young age.

This drove my brothers crazy,
and they tortured me relentlessly.

But Dad was always there for me.

!/ was Daddy's little girl
until he got remarried.

Bette is not my mother.

This wedding is for the whole family.

You want Bette instead of me.

No, that's not true.
I'm always gonna be yours, Nonnie.

He wasn't mine anymore,
so / turned to other distractions.

In high school,
I became slightly schizophrenic.

! couldn't choose between class virgin
and the other kind.

Both had their virtues
as far as I was concerned.

When 1 finally lost my virginity...

...I considered it a career move,
my first one.

There'd be many more,
starting with New York.

This is it?
This is all you've got?

Yeah. Thirty-seven dollars.

Girl, what if you don't get
this little dance scholarship?

Of course I'm gonna get it.

This is the craziest thing
you've ever done.

I'm gonna miss you, girl.

-A letter, that's it.
-Look, we'd better hurry.

They're gonna be home
from church any minute.

Don't forget to hang up
your dress, hon.

-There you go.
-Here we go. I forgot about that.

Okay, grab the toy.

So where to, lady?

-Take me to the center of everything.
-Okay.

Okay.

That'll be 15 bucks.

-Fifteen bucks?
-That's right.

But it couldn't have been more
than 10 miles.

Times Square, lady.
Center of everything.

Hey, that's all I can spare.

God, that man, he was so wasted.

Do you have
a culinary-skills background?

Practically have a Ph.D.
in doughnuts, sir.

You start tomorrow. Don't be late.

Thanks.

-Name.
-Madonna Ciccone.

I'm here to audition for a scholarship.

I think Miss Novak
is one of the most innovative...

...women working in dance today.

You can wait over there.
Your number is 32.

We'll call you.

She's my idol.

When I was a student
at University of Michigan...

...her troupe came to campus...

...and they performed this really
complicated 12-tone Stravinsky piece.

Have a seat, young lady.

No, it's all right, Victoria.
Let her finish.

Okay.

All of her dancers were on pointe...

...but their bodies were--
Were twisted...

...into these primitive, angular shapes.

I'd never seen anything like it before.

The woman's a genius.

And you think you're ready
for that kind of challenge?

I'm ready for anything.

-I'm Ruth Novak.
-Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

I am so embarrassed.

I look forward to seeing you dance.

No, no, no.

Elevations, people.
Watch those elevations.

Again, please.
And four, five, six...

Miss Ciccone. Miss Ciccone.

The essence of movement
is in transition.

Not in position.

Again, please. And...

And...

Good.

Good.

From the top.

And...

What do you think this is, a party?

Hey, the bigger the party,
the more doughnuts you sell, right?

Didn't they teach you that
in management school?

I don't normally take tenants
on a week-to-week.

...but I'll do it for you,
sweetheart.

That's very kind of you, sir.

Of course, you'll have to fork over
the cleaning fee up front.

I had to pay the crew
when they finished here yesterday.

No problem.
I'll be working double shifts all weekend.

Really love the view.

Any way you cut it, darling,
it's a dump.

Now it's your dump.

Hey, if you saw where I was living,
you'd call this the Ritz.

Ciccone, how many times
do I have to tell you...

...one squeeze per doughnut?

Is that such a difficult concept?

I was just trying to give our customers
their money's worth.

Do you know how much it's gonna cost
to get this cleaned?

-We'll deduct it from your paycheck.
-You can't do that.

I barely have money to get my phone
turned on, and I owe my landlord.

In my book, if you fail at doughnuts,
you've failed at life.

This isn't life.

This isn't even an excuse
for a restaurant.

This is a greasy, roach-infested,
minimum-wage sewer.

I may not be smart, Miss Ciccone,
and I may not be witty...

...I'm just the boss.

And you're fired.

Things can't be all that bad, mi hija.

Honey, get it, would you?
I gotta get the milk.

Okay.

-Hello.
-Daddy?

Madonna. Where are you?

I'm in New York.

-How could you just run off like that?
-Daddy, listen.

I knew you'd be worried, so I'm just
calling to tell you that everything's okay.

Well, it's about time.

It's been three weeks.

Daddy, I-- I was just trying
to make things easier for the both of us.

Well, you didn't succeed.

How are you doing?

Things are going great. Really.

I love dance class.
I'm meeting lots of people.

I'm even gonna start auditioning
for Broadway shows.

Nonnie, you're always welcome
back here, you know.

It's not too late
to register for the fall semester.

No way.

I'm having way too much fun here.

You'd be proud of your little girl.

Professor Bennett?

My name's Madonna.
I called about the ad.

- I think there's been a mistake.
-A mistake?

Well, the way you described yourself
over the phone...

...I was under the impression--

Look, I came all the way across
town for this, I...

I even changed my work schedule
to fit you in today.

Look, I'm really very sorry.

I was looking for someone older.

And not so boyish.

Does this look like a boy to you?

Would you like me over here, professor?
On the sofa?

I adore velvet.

It's like a second skin.

Thank you, people. An excellent session.
Well done, everybody.

Special announcement
for next week's session.

-Thanks.
-Thursday, 8:00.

Don't come here at 7.
I will not be here.

-The doors will be locked.
-Bye, guys.

-Don't forget to put on a lens cap.
-Thanks.

You...

-You did a really wonderful job.
-Thanks.

Look, I-- I don't normally
do this with my models.

In fact, I've never done it before.

What are you doing tonight?

I'm busy.

I have plans.

Does the offer include dinner?

That was a great meal.

I can't believe a girl
with a name like Madonna Ciccone...

...has never been
to Little Italy before.

Well, I'm still getting to know the town.
Just give me time.

What?

What are you doing?
What are you--?

I want people to get used
to seeing my name.

What? You're into shock value too.

I mean, it's not like you take pictures
of old ladies and tall buildings.

So, what's the most outrageous thing
you've ever photographed?

If you want a real breakfast,
I'm a great cook.

I can't. Dance class.

Are we gonna see
each other again tonight?

Well, I don't know.
That all depends.

On what?

Well, it can get kind of dangerous
mixing business with pleasure.

You know, I wouldn't wanna
jeopardize my new job here.

I'm sure we can work something out.

-Oh, yeah?
-Yeah.

At, say...

...three times
the normal modeling rate?

I think we have a deal.

See you around, professor.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Don't land in position, Madonna.
Land as a figureless sprawl.

Feel the nothingness.

Don't be afraid of pain.

Again.

Get off the floor, Madonna.

I can't do it your way!

What's wrong with you?
Why are you behaving like this?

Are you afraid you're not as good
as the others?

I work harder than anyone
in this company.

Which is why I took you
into this company in the first place.

For sheer force of will, not talent.

-I'm doing my best.
-You are doing your best to impress me.

Concentrate on the work instead.

You don't dance
to get somewhere, Madonna.

You dance for the sheer joy of it.

But I want a spot
with a national touring company.

You've only been with me
for three weeks.

Some of my best dancers
have been with me for three years...

...and they are still waiting.

Well, I can't do that.

Well, then you'd better consider
doing something else.

Because quite frankly, young lady...

...you are wasting my time.

-Madonna, want a ride?
-Salvador.

Daddy?

I thought you were working.
What do you spend your money on?

Rent, dance stuff, books, you know.

It costs a fortune
to live in New York City.

It's not like
I'm doing drugs or anything.

The phone was only disconnected
for a couple days.

It was a week and a half.

I know because I tried to call you
every night.

You lied to me, Madonna.

So, what happened?
Did you get fired?

What if I did?

There are thousands
of grunt jobs in this city.

Ten years down the line...

...what happens if this dream
of yours doesn't work?

You'll be 30.
And with nothing to show for it.

That is never gonna happen to me.

I try to understand you, Madonna.

I really do.

But I can't.

Listen, I know this is difficult for you.

Somehow you think I don't need you,
but that's not true.

Oh, honey, don't-- Don't waste
the best years of your life here.

Come on home.

Go back to college
and make a real life for yourself.

That's your dream, Daddy,
not mine.

I can always go back to school.

I can do anything I want.

Yeah.

Well, I don't know.
Maybe you're right.

Maybe you're right.
I used to feel the same way.

I used to think that life
was full of endless possibilities...

...and everything
would always work out just fine.

But sometimes it doesn't.

The floor will be good for your back.

Honest.

I miss you, little Nonnie.

Thanks for coming to visit.

Good night, Daddy.

Hey, I'd love it if you'd stick around.

I have an audition at 10.
Then we could spend the day together.

You know, wander down
to Little Italy.

Bette's expecting me home for dinner.

And I've gotta get back to work.

The rent, Ciccone.

You know, it's a sin what you charge
to live in this roach motel.

Who is it, Madonna?
Is that one of your neighbors?

Yo, Ciccone, aren't you gonna
introduce me to your friend?

Yeah, this is Tony.

He's my sugar daddy.

Yeah? Well, make it quick, babe.
Time is money.

Creep.

-Here, honey. I want you to take this.
-No, Daddy.

-Here, now, come on.
-No, really.

-In case of an emergency.
-I'm okay.

Hey, look, I'm gonna ace this audition.

They're looking for dancers
just like me.

I'm gonna be fine, Daddy.

There's gotta be a better way.

Open up!

The rent, Ciccone!
You said you'd get the money!

And you still owe me
for the cleaning fees!

Will you hold on a minute.
I'm naked.

So, what else is new?

You said you'd get the money!

The guy paid me in hundreds.

Ciccone, I bent over backward
for you.

I got a key, you know.

I'm coming in.

Ciccone!

-Hi there, this is Bennett.
-Hi, where have you been?

I've been trying to call you.
I need some work.

Please leave your name and number
and the date you called...

...and I promise I'll get back--

-Go, go, go.
-Hey, stop.

They got my stuff.

Thank God you're trying to pick me up.

I thought you were the food police.

Cheese and crackers keep for days.

I avoid dips like the plague.
They're too messy.

Hey, can you imagine buying
any of this junk?

The artist happens to be
a very good friend of mine.

Thank you for coming.

Aren't you gonna kiss me?

-You live here?
-Yeah.

Come on.

Yeah.

Let me guess, synagogue bells?

Obviously, you're not Jewish. No.

-Do you remember gym class?
-Yeah.

I hung these up.

It's a great way to stay in shape.

So how long since this place
has been used for services?

Well, it was abandoned for years.

You're a musician?

Yeah, I'm forming a band here.

-Do you sing?
-Oh, no, not really.

Just, you know, high school musicals,
stuff like that.

Come on.

-Let me hear you sing.
-No.

- I wouldn't wanna bore you.
-Sing, sing.

Hey, bet you can't catch me.

I'm slipping.

Oh, you...
You have an incredible body.

Ballet class.

Ballet? Somehow I can't
picture you doing Swan Lake.

You know...

...you make love like a man.

What does that mean?

You're very aggressive.

Very uninhibited.

And does that...

-...scare you?
-No.

-Threaten you?
-No.

It's an incredible turn-on.

I always wanted to be a guy.

When I was a kid,
I was insanely jealous of my brothers.

They could take off their shirts
in the summer.

They had so much freedom.

Any more freedom...

...and you'd be lethal.

Hey, don't forget to put the toilet
seat down when you're finished.

What's with the clothes?

Madonna, meet my brother Stu.

-Charmed.
-I'm sure.

I... I didn't know
you were entertaining.

I left the address plaque upside down.
Didn't you check?

Well, there's been such a drought
around here, I-- I didn't bother.

Stu and I share the place,
but we have an arrangement.

Yeah, I...

I leave for the night, as long as
the chick splits in the morning.

The chick?

Stu was just going.

Make sure she doesn't steal anything.

-No way. She's not moving in.
-Oh, come on.

She just needs a place to crash
for a couple days. It's only temporary.

It's never temporary
with chicks like that.

She's got desperation
written all over her face.

Stu, last night was phenomenal.

Come on, we shredded
the bed sheets, Stu.

And afterwards we just kind of...

...sat around and talked
for hours, you know.

I mean, I want her to stay. Hi.

You found a chick you can have sex with
and talk to at the same time.

That's great.
But you don't have to live with her.

-Will you look at her. She's so...
-Hello.

-So, what?
-She's so real.

There's none of that
game-playing stuff.

-What you see is what you get.
-That's exactly what I'm worried about.

You couldn't be responsible for the dog,
let alone a girlfriend.

You've never been
the commitment type, Paul.

This is different.

I'm just trying to save you
from a little heartache, bro.

Can you give it a break?

I need to practice.
I've got auditions all day.

What's in this thing, cat food?

I didn't go to all the trouble
to make you breakfast--

Hey, you're not my mother.
I feel like I'm living in a tenement.

You know what? We have a limited
amount of room here, okay?

We're all doing our best.

I thought you said
this arrangement was temporary.

This place ain't big enough
for three people.

Yeah, he's got a point, Paul.
Maybe one of us should move out.

At least I'd be able to support myself
instead of mooching off my roommates.

-You don't know what it's like out there.
-Hey, hey, I've seen A Chorus Line.

And I remember the song "Tits and Ass."

But, you see, the trouble is...

...if that's true, how come
you never get any work?

You bastard.

Jerk.

Come on.

Come on. I know things
are difficult right now.

-You're feeling bad and--
-You don't know how I feel.

Nobody knows how I feel.
Yesterday, during my routine...

...the casting director was on the phone
with her interior decorator...

...discussing toilet-bowl! colors.

Come on, that's funny
when you think about it.

Madonna. Wait, wait a minute.
Madonna, wait. Just--

You know, I don't understand.
What just happened here?

Paul, she's a woman, all right?

They don't come with instructions.

-Madonna Ciccone.
-You're late.

But I came all the way
from Queens in the rain.

Honey, the producers came all the way
from France. They made it on time.

We're doing singers now, sorry.

Get in the next group.

Don't worry about the dance.
We just wanna see how you move.

Take it from the top of the chorus.
Remember to sing out.

All right, playback.

What the hell are you doing?

Stop!

Stop this at once.
Clear the stage. Now.

-Okay everybody, wait backstage.
-All except for that one.

You, stay.

Have you ever been
to a professional audition before?

-

Sure, thousands of them.

And this is how you behave yourself?

-What's your name?
-Madonna.

What about the last name?

Just Madonna. That's it.

Darling, everyone has a last name.

Would Madonna Madonna
suit you better?

Madonna will do just fine.

Could you excuse us for a moment?

My dear...

...have you ever been to Paris?

-Paris?
-I met these two producers today...

...who are convinced they can turn me
into an international disco star.

You hate disco. Not to mention the fact
that you happen to be a classical dancer.

-They wanna make me a singer.
-A singer?

A singer? You don't know
anything about singing.

You have no professional training.

They'll get me a vocal coach.
They think I'm good.

Really? Oh, come on, Madonna.
These people are frauds, you know.

God knows what else
they've got in mind.

Not to mention the fact that--
That you can't leave. What about us?

-They said I'd have total artistic freedom.
-Hey.

What about us?

If I stayed, I'd be miserable.

You'd hate me.

It would never work out.

Wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait.

You know, if-- If you don't feel
anything for me...

...at least have the guts
to say it to my face.

You're one of the kindest people
I've ever met, Paul.

And I hate doing this to you.

But I have to.

And if that makes me a bitch,
then I'm sorry.

You are a bitch.

And sorry is--
Is not good enough.

-What's the delay?
-I can't do this.

You look beautiful.
And why Donna Summer?

Opening-night jitters are good.

This isn't opening night, Pierre.
This is a freak show.

There are nothing but goons out there.

Bankers who don't have a clue
what's happening on the music scene.

Those goons expect nothing less than
the Second Coming tonight.

For the last two months, we've been
spending a small fortune promoting you.

You will not disappoint them.

Why don't you just let me do the show
my way? The opening is so cliché.

Cliché? They love cliché.
They understand cliché.

Don't you even think about
changing a single step.

You begin on stage,
singing to a single spotlight...

...as if it were the soul
of your lost lover.

Exactly as Donna Summer would.

I am not Donna Summer.

Five minutes, Madonna.

You look wonderful.

Where is she?

What's going on?

Sing the song.

Hey, what are you doing?

I quit.

Madonna. Madonna.

Madonna.

Paul.

Paul, open up.

Madonna?

What--?
What are you doing here?

I saw this address plaque,
and I figured...

That's broken.

It's been broken since you left.

I missed you so much.

When did you get back from Paris?

About two hours ago.
The whole trip was a bust.

I thought they promised you
the moon and the stars.

Look, I don't wanna talk about Paris.

I don't wanna talk about anything
but you and me and the band.

-Well, Stu and I finally got it together.
-And?

And we hired a lead vocalist.

She's gonna be good.

A girl?

Stu's idea, huh?

-Are you okay?
- I have the flu.

-Well, let's go inside. I'm freezing.
-Wait-- Wait a minute.

You can't just waltz back in here like--
Like nothing happened.

Come on, we won't make the same
mistakes. We did everything too fast.

I really liked you, Madonna.
You know what I mean?

I thought we had something going.
You walked out on me. You walked out.

Okay, okay. So I do incredibly stupid
things sometimes. I know that.

Look, I really screwed up this time.
I'm sorry.

I ju-- I...

I won't do that to myself again.

I'm not looking for a place to crash
for a couple of nights.

I want us back together.

I don't know.

I wanna make love to you.
Right now.

Right now.

Madonna, no. Lis--
Listen, I have a 103 fever, okay?

It's pouring rain out here.
I'm soaking wet.

Tell me you didn't miss me.

-Are you--? You're playing that?
-No, not really. I just--

-No, no, go ahead. Play.
-No, it's okay.

I see. We can only do things
we know we do well.

Come here.
You take the pick.

You work this end.
I'm gonna play the chords up here.

-Okay.
-Okay, give me this.

Good.

Hey, that's good.
Let's do it again.

Hey, you have a very nice voice.
Look at you.

The great thing about music,
like being in a band...

...is that you can go from obscurity
to stardom practically overnight.

I mean, that never happens
to dancers. Never.

Now, wait a minute.
I know what you're doing.

No, no. No way. No. Listen, one girl
in the band's enough, okay?

You know--
Yeah, Stu would never go for it.

You're not go-- What? Oh, God.

Okay. Just try to keep up with this.
And listen to the beat, you know.

-And-- And sing out.
-Okay.

Like this.

-Okay, okay. I got it. Thanks.
-Stu.

Okay.

We'll-- We'll get it.

All right, everybody.
I wanna talk to you about Friday, okay?

We have to be at the Silver Dollar Club
by 9, okay? Nine.

I have this recurring nightmare
where I show up at the club...

...and start singing
and nothing comes out.

It makes me queasy
just talking about it.

Look, stage fright is nothing
to be worried about, Kelsey, okay?

We'll do some
deep-breathing exercises.

-You're gonna be fine, Kelsey.
-Okay.

A month we've been doing this,
and she still can't read the music.

She'll pull through, don't worry.

Do you want me
to work with her tomorrow?

We could work on some stage presence,
you know, do some vocal warm-ups.

Get her to quit doing that
flippy-hair thing. It's driving me nuts.

It's just her nerves. Don't worry.

-You're right.
-I'll take care of Kelsey.

Can you do more of that hair-tossing
stuff on stage?

-Like this?
-Yeah.

The guys really love it
when you do that, especially Paul.

And that outfit you're working on
is gonna be a real knockout.

It's getting kind of late.
I thought we were gonna rehearse.

What's there to work on?
Paul's just being neurotic.

Besides, too much technique
will ruin your style.

We'll just let him think
that we practiced for hours.

-It'll be our little secret.
-That's right.

We girls have to stick together.

Good evening. We're the Breakfast Club.

Two, three, four...

Oh, baby!

Kelsey. Kelsey.

-What are you doing?
-It's okay.

Madonna. No way.

No woman of mine is going out
there looking like a piece of meat.

Look, this belly button
is gonna make us a fortune.

Just stick with me.

Kelsey, Kelsey, Kelsey, Kelsey.

Where's the beef?

What's the matter? Did you hear
that applause? It was amazing.

You made us look
like a backup band out there.

I think we need to rethink
the act a little bit.

Do a couple of cover tunes,
some new wave.

Hey, hey, this is my band.
Do you remember that?

Don't you ever upstage me again.

-Warned you about that, Paul.
-Shut up.

I'm sick and tired
of you second-guessing me.

What is with you two?
We were a team out there.

Yeah, we were a team.
We were a team of one.

-You pull that crap again, you're out.
- leaved you guys tonight.

Oh, that's good. Stick to self promotion.
That's what you do best.

I can't believe you two.

I can't believe I spent
three months working two jobs...

...So you get to stay home all day
and work on your music.

-She's nothing but a self-centered--
- I will handle it.

You will not handle this!
You couldn't see it coming.

-Yeah, at least I put myself out there.
-I'm not the bad guy, she is.

-Back off.
-Stop it.

You're both just jealous because I have
something you'll never have: Charisma.

Oh, no, no, sweetheart.
Don't confuse charisma with chutzpah.

Anybody can go shake their butt
and get drunks to scream for more.

I made your band
a success tonight. Admit it.

A success?
We were a charade, Madonna!

I was ashamed to be out there
with you tonight.

That's great. That's great. Madonna!

So where are you gonna go now, huh?

You've done Paris.
You've done Detroit.

New York must seem
pretty dull to you by now, huh?

Do you know what you are?

Naked ambition,
with no talent to back it up.

So you wanna go, go.

Go! Go ahead, get out!

It's the paradox of management, Brad.

And if you do it really,
really well...

...then eventually you
do yourself out of a job.

Which begs the question,
what are we doing this for, anyway?

You'll be opening doors
for me someday.

Too many bills
and not enough royalty checks.

-Where's the justice, Brad?
- I want you to listen to this.

Spare me, I haven't even had
my caffeine fix yet.

-God.
-Come on, she isn't that bad.

Like Minnie Mouse on helium.

Wait a minute, stop.
Let me hear that.

Now that's interesting.
Who is she?

I don't know. Somebody taped
the cassette to my front windshield.

- I think we should find her.
-Okay, get her in here.

-But five minutes, that's all she's got.
-Okay.

Yeah, well, I'm gonna tell everybody
you're a cheapskate.

I gotta call you back.

-So I hear you like my tape.
-That was you?

Brad says I have five minutes.
I don't need that long.

I'm performing tonight
at Lee's Palace, 9:00.

You gotta see me live to get
the whole picture. I love Szechuan.

Bye, Brad.

She took my lunch.

What the hell is wrong with you?

I told you 9:00.
How could you do this? This is my life.

We got hung up at the office,
and traffic was a mess.

Hey, I don't have to explain
myself to you.

I mean, who do you think
you are anyway?

Come on, Brad. We're out of here.

I like your energy, Camille.

You're lucky I'm doing another set.

Now, sit down and enjoy the show.

She's better than I thought.

You're killing your
vocal chords up there.

Have you ever had any voice training?

Yeah, I've been doing this gig
five days a week.

Yeah, just what I thought.
Miss Ciccone would like some tea.

This is a bar, sweetheart.
I can do a beer.

The lady would like some tea.
Preferably herbal with lemon.

And it's Ms. Barbone,
not sweetheart.

What did you think of the show?
All of the songs are new.

I'm writing most
of my own stuff now.

First of all, you've gotta start taking
care of your voice or kiss it goodbye.

From now on, drink tea with honey
before every performance.

Tea with lemon afterwards.
And you gotta lose this house-band crap.

You need real studio musicians
behind you.

That'll be $5, Miss Barbone.

Hey, you should
consider yourself lucky...

...to have Miss Ciccone
performing in this armpit.

-Yeah.
-Go away. We're talking business.

Tea with lemon.

There's a broken skylight in the hallway.
That's a code violation.

I have a cousin in the mayor's office.
I'll give you 65, no security deposit.

The longer you stall,
the lower the price goes.

You can tell your cousin
to kiss off.

It's $90, and I got three people
in the lobby waiting to rent it.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't a cousin.

No loud parties,
no dope smoking and no pets.

Miss Ciccone is preparing
for the nunnery, Mr. Estes.

I'm going to pay you
a weekly salary of $100.

And in return, you'll work full-time
in my building.

You start Monday morning as a maid.

A what?

Is this what you've been doing
all day?

You got some great books here.

Well, you're welcome to read
any of them...

...but not until after you've finished
your cleaning, okay?

Hey, it's Friday night.
Time to boogie.

Let's go out.
Come on, it'll be fun.

This is what I do with my free time,
Madonna. Peace and quiet.

I don't need anybody to entertain me.

You can go now.
You're off the clock.

I'll finish the cleaning.
Just have a good weekend.

So where are you headed tonight?

I don't know. Probably some clubs.

Danceteria is great.
I haven't been there in ages.

Listen... I'm just gonna order
a pizza for dinner.

You feel like sticking around?

But the kind of music I wanna write
has a funky street sound.

Black music,
like they play in the clubs.

Street music is lunch money, Madonna.

I can make you rich.

I want you to write Pat Benatar kind
of songs. Commercial rock.

We record a demo,
get your name out there.

Brad and I have come up with a list
of people we'd like in the band.

-Nothing but the best.
- I have a drummer friend, Thom Hitler.

We're using professionals, Madonna,
not friends.

But he's arriving from Detroit tomorrow,
and he's incredibly talented, Camille.

He was one of the first guys
I ever dated.

And would you, by any chance,
be sleeping with him?

Of course not. It's totally platonic.

What? You think I sleep
with every guy I know?

They're great.
There's just one thing, the drummer.

Oh, Flynn? I knew you'd go nuts for him.

I had to pull a lot of strings to make this
happen, but he's worth every penny.

Camille, we need to talk.
Thom is a phenomenal drummer.

He's been doing
the European circuit for a year.

-In fact, he just flew in from Paris.
-You said Detroit.

-Come on, Camille.
-There will be no sleeping with the band.

If I find any of these guys messing around
with you, they will be fired on the spot.

Now, I'm paying for this gig, and that
means that everybody plays by my rules.

You got it?

Flynn.

-Nice car.
-Thanks.

-Wanna give me a ride?
-Sure.

Hey, Robbie, you played with him.
How could you forget him?

-Oh, yeah, the short guy.
-Queen weirdness.

Did you catch the game last night?

Okay, let's rehearse, shall we?

Max, who else?

I can't hear myself think with you
banging away like that.

I am not banging away.

One, two, three, four...

Are you trying
to mess with me or what?

-I can't concentrate.
-Hey!

Back off.

What's wrong with you today, Flynn?
Your rhythm's all off.

You didn't have any complaints
last night.

Flynn, my office, now.

You...

A word to the wise, gentlemen.

If you wanna keep your jobs,
keep your eyes on the music...

...your mouths on the microphone,
and your trousers zipped.

I'll be in my office. Hopefully, I can find
a drummer before the end of the day.

No need.

You gotta hear him play,
Camille, he's brilliant.

-No way.
-Show her, Thom.

If he's living with you, he's got 24 hours
to find new digs or he's history.

And don't you ever do this
to me again.

Camille, I'm bleeding to death.

Madonna?

-What's wrong?
-I don't know. I'm all swollen.

My wisdom teeth.

Just-- Just settle down.
They're-- They're probably infected.

-I'm scared.
-Okay, I'm on my way aver.

I'll call my dentist to
meet us over at his office.

-I'm scared, Camille.
-It's okay, I'm coming.

Just take it easy.
You're at my place now.

The anesthesia will wear off soon.

When I was a little girl,
and I was sick...

...my mom used to make toast
and tea for me.

Just like you, but without the toast.

You're not supposed to talk.
I'll get some ice.

No, don't go, okay?

I miss my mom.

What happened to your mother,
Madonna? You never talk about her.

When are you coming home?

It's gonna be a little while, honey.

In the meantime, I want you to take care
of your brothers and your father.

And I want you to remember
that you're my namesake...

...and that makes you
very, very special.

I want you to stop being this way.
I want you to play with me.

Honey, come on.

I think we should go for a walk.
Come on, boys.

I wanna talk to you.

-Okay.
-Okay.

-I love you.
- I love you, Nonnie.

-Should we go here?
-Yeah!

Mom.

Mom.

Daddy, what happened to Mommy?

Have mercy on us.

It's all right. I'm here.

I could have stayed out there
for hours.

Do you realize
that you did so many encores...

...that other band
never even made it to the stage?

-Yeah, it was pretty amazing.
-Amazing?

It was beyond amazing.

You really believe in me, don't you?

You know, I've been at this game
a long time now...

...and I have never seen anybody
take over a stage...

...the way you did last night.

You know, this is my shot too,
Madonna.

Just like you,
I've got everything riding on it.

You've made a lot of sacrifices
to get this far, haven't you?

You bet. And I've put everything
into my company.

But what really makes this great
is that we're friends. You know?

I mean, this goes way
beyond the business, Madonna.

And I swear to you,
this is all gonna happen.

We are gonna conquer the world.

And we're gonna do it together.

-Peter, are you okay?
-Yeah, I'm fine.

If he wasn't your cousin,
you'd have to pay him big bucks.

That's okay.
It's a work-study thing for school.

I'm getting credit.

I want you both to plaster these over
the Village. We're gonna pack this place.

Can't we pay someone to do it?
I've been on my feet all day.

You'll get the star treatment
once you start pulling in the star salary.

Now, come on. Take the dogs with you.
They need to go for a walk.

You too. Go on, now.

Come on.

This is such a thrill.

Hold on.

Still up to your old tricks, eh?

This is...
It's certainly a career change.

It's just a part-time thing.
I finally got my band together.

Really?

Oh, hey, that great. That's great.
Yeah, Stu and me too, you know.

Been tons of bookings, you know.
Suddenly, boom, we're a hit.

Listen, we should get together
sometime, you know. Catch up.

We don't have to catch
up on the past, Madonna.

You know, I'm--
I'm seeing somebody now.

Great, you deserve to be happy, Paul.

Well, listen, I-- I gotta go.

I'm meeting her parents for the first
time tonight. You know how that can be.

Yeah, I gotta keep moving.
These guys get pretty restless.

Hey.

Call me sometime.

Peter, get out of here.

-We were just getting to the good part.
-Out.

-He's only 16.
- I was bored.

-What is wrong with you?
-Look, we were just having fun, okay?

Well, how's he supposed to feel when
you blow him off for somebody else?

I ran into an old boyfriend today, okay?
Is that a better answer?

There I was, in my best
toilet-cleaning outfit...

...walking those yappy
little mutts of yours...

...trying to act like a serious musician,
while he goes on and on...

...about his new life
and his new girlfriend.

It was humiliating, Camille.

Where's my tea?

Get it yourself.

Yeah, what is it?

I just wanted to tell you
how much I enjoyed your show.

Thanks, you were a great audience.

I'm in the industry. I saw you
perform last year at the Silver Dollar.

I have to admit, I do miss some
of that old rock 'n' roll you used to do.

Yeah, well, I'm going in a different
direction, more commercial stuff.

I don't understand
why you're still playing these dives.

You should be doing
the bigger houses.

-Getting more PR.
-Yeah?

And I suppose
you're just the guy to do it.

I just think you're selling yourself
a little short, that's all.

I gotta run.

Stay in touch.

-Excuse me? What are you talking about?
-You said that things would happen.

Things are happening.
You're getting a lot of attention.

Well, I'm tired of all these pop tunes
we keep doing.

I miss my old songs.
The funky stuff.

Record execs don't like funky,
especially coming from a white girl.

I know what's best for you right now.

So when am I gonna start
playing bigger clubs?

You're not ready.

I'm not, or you don't have the clout
to book me into bigger houses?

What is with you today?

Are you still upset about running
into Paul? Because don't rag on me.

You promised me that we would have
a record deal by now.

All we do is sit around here
trying to make this demo tape perfect.

This is your calling card,
this is what's gonna sell you.

Look, I know what I'm doing.
Just stick with the plan.

Your plan could take forever. Later.

Madonna.

Madonna.

Club soda, please.

Here you go.
You've got quite a following.

Yeah, four guys gave me
their phone number...

...and that woman invited me
to the Hamptons for the weekend.

Girl, you got them coming
and going tonight.

-So, what's his story?
-That's Mitch.

I hear he's really plugged in
to all the record people.

Especially over at Warner's.

He's got club acts
getting label deals over there.

Yeah?

Mitch.

Mitch.

Don't you know the rules?
No smoking.

You can let go of my wrist now.

My name's Madonna.

What are you doing?

Hear that. That's Madonna.

I got a friend.

Jerome Kirkland over at Warner Records.
He's got to see this. It'll blow him away.

Yeah?

Give him a call.
What are you waiting for?

He's in the hospital.
Just had open-heart surgery.

-He's flat on his back.
-Just like I like my men.

Look, Madonna...

...if we're gonna work together,
this is no way to start out.

You're saying you wanna help me?

We got one small problem
to deal with first.

You already have a manager,
and I don't work with managers.

Anything I set up,
I come attached as producer.

That's not a negotiable item
with me, okay?

-We got it.
- I don't like the way it sounds.

I wanna do it again.

Not in overtime, honey.
We'll do it tomorrow.

All right, so we got take four...

I'm tired of waiting until tomorrow,
Camille. I'm tired of all the excuses.

-Pardon me.
-I can't rely on you anymore.

I have put everything on the line for you,
Madonna. What more do you want?

We've gone as far as
we can together.

Okay, look. If this is about
the kind of music you wanna do...

...why don't we sit down and talk
about it. If you feel that strongly--

We are past the talking stage, Camille.

My company is almost bankrupt
from promoting you...

...so don't you think for a second that
you're gonna just walk out that door.

-Watch me.
-You ungrateful--

Where are you going?

-You always have to walk first.
-What are you talking about?

If anybody gets too close to you,
you have to break it up...

...because God forbid
they find out what makes you tick.

No, this isn't about me, Camille.
This is about business.

And you can't give me
what I want anymore.

Well, then introduce me
to somebody who can.

I take what I need,
and I move on.

And if people can't move with me,
well, then I'm sorry.

How can you be so cold?

What the hell is wrong with you?

I'm out of here.

Did this all start
when your mother died?

Were you so beat up that you just
decided to stop feeling anything?

You're still under contract.

You march out of here now
and you leave with nothing.

No source of income, no way to pay
the band, no rent subsidy, nothing.

-Jerome.
-You must be Madonna.

You're looking very healthy today,
Jerome.

It's Mr. Kirkland, young lady.

And I feel like hell.

I hear your music's a big hit
at the clubs.

Yeah, it's getting played all over town,
at Danceteria, Lucky Star--

-Studio 54.
-Studio 54.

You think the people in Iowa give a damn
about what they're playing at Studio 54?

Come over here.

You need to see her perform live,
Mr. Kirkland. She's amazing.

You put the whole act together, you have
one hell of a music video for MTV.

That's all the kids down at the office talk
about these days. Video this, video that.

What do I know of MTV?
I don't even like TV.

Anyway, it's a man's world
over there.

Springsteen, the Police-- How do you
expect to compete with that?

By not trying to be one of the boys.

You better make us
a whole lot of money, honey.

Let me do what I do best
and I'll make you a fortune.

-Ju-- Just don't kill me first.
-I'm sorry.

Where's my face?

Am I so ugly Kirkland was ashamed
to put my face on the cover?

How could you make a decision
and not tell me?

Calm down. It wasn't my decision.

The problem is you sound black
on the radio.

So? That's a compliment.

What does that have to do
with the picture?

The record company
doesn't wanna confuse people.

Till you've got a hit, they don't wanna
advertise that you're white.

Look, Mitch, I have been with
this label for nine months.

I've worked my ass off
to get my face out there.

I want people to know it's me.

Look, I promise.

I'll get your face, attitude, and all
your body parts on the next cover.

But until then,
what do you wanna work on?

This.

It's called "Like a Virgin."

It was written a few years ago
as a ballad.

This is not a joke.

I want a song
that's gonna put me over the top.

Get used to it, Madonna.
This is the way it is.

You're my namesake...

...and that makes you
very, very special.

! wish you were here, Daddy.

Yeah, I've been thinking about you
all day too.

Do you think...

...Mom would be proud of me tonight?

I know she would.

Madonna, you're gonna be okay.

I gotta go, Daddy.

I miss you, little Nonnie.

Wish me luck, okay?

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