Who's That Girl (1987 Film)

Who's That Girl (1987 Film)

Who's That Girl is a 1987 American romantic comedy film produced by Warner Bros., and starring Madonna and Griffin Dunne. The film was written by Andrew Smith and Ken Finkleman, and directed by James Foley. Madonna plays Nikki Finn, a street-smart woman who is falsely accused of murder and sent to jail for four years. After getting released, she is supposed to be escorted by a lawyer named Loudon Trott (Dunne), to her hometown of Philadelphia. However, Nikki wants to catch those responsible for her confinement. While searching for the embezzler, both of them get caught in a series of adventures, resulting in the revelation of the true murderer. In the process, Nikki and Loudon fall in love with each other.

After the box-office failure of her 1986 film Shanghai Surprise, Madonna decided to sign another comedy film titled Slammer, which was later renamed to Who's That Girl. However, she had to convince both Warner Bros. and the producers of the film that she was ready for the project. Madonna enlisted her friend James Foley to direct the film. Shooting began in New York in October 1986, and continued until March 1987. Production was halted during December due to snowfall in New York. Madonna utilized the time to work on her next tour and the soundtrack of the film.

The film was released on August 8, 1987, with the premiere taking place at Times Square of New York. At the premiere, Madonna reminisced about arriving at Times Square for the first time, eight years prior, with only $35 in her pocket. The film was also promoted through the Who's That Girl World Tour, which went on to be a critical and commercial success, grossing in total of US $25 million, and playing in front of 1.5 million audiences.

Who's That Girl ended up being a critical and commercial failure. Reviewers were highly disappointed with the film, and Foley's direction. Some went on to call it one of the worst films to be released, while others found Madonna's comic timing to be one of the highlights. Who's That Girl opened in 944 American theatres, and grossed $2.5 million in its first week. Its worldwide total was about $7.3 million, most of it coming from European markets. However, the soundtrack of the film enjoyed commercial success. Three of Madonna's songs were released as singles—the title track, "Causing a Commotion" and "The Look of Love". It went on to sell six million copies worldwide.