www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/showbiz/articles/1562334
Madonna, one of the world's biggest stars, appearing on screen directed by her husband Guy Ritchie, should have been an explosive box-office combination. But Swept Away may now be on its way to becoming a Hollywood flop on the scale of Kevin Costner's Water World or Mariah Carey's notorious Glitter. American critics, finally allowed to see the film the day before it is released in the US, were universally scathing. But when the couple are accidentally stranded, the Italian "rough trade" sailor, played by Adriano Giannini, forces her to beg for help to survive until they become lovers. The Washington Post and New York Times, America's two most influential papers, vied to be the most scathing about the production. The film "is as awful as you've heard," said the Washington Post, "and as bad as you've imagined". The acting is "laughable", says the paper, noting it follows similar disasters with first husband Sean Penn in Shanghai Surprise and former lover Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy. Director Ritchie may be in even deeper trouble with his wife for how she appears on screen than for the critical panning. The Los Angeles-Times noticed that Madonna is no longer in the first flush of youth, describing her appearance as "unflattering", while the Los Angeles Weekly noticed "lighting that emphasises every line and sag". Rolling Stone magazine said: " Audiences are likely to be slack-jawed. The best that anyone could find to say was in Entertainment Weekly, which said the film is the first time since her debut in Desperately Seeking Susan that "Madonna doesn't suck as an actress" or her line-reading "doesn't clatter like broken plates". In the wake of such reviews, the tempestuous relationship which Ritchie and Madonna have admitted to may be about to erupt in another of their verbal battles.
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