If any other actress had performed as Madonna did in Evita there is little doubt they would have received an Oscar nomination - at least.
But the queen bee of self-publicity has no doubt done herself such a disservice in the past with her vain exhortations and trivial rantings, that, as an actress, she has not been taken as seriously as she might.
The material girl could justifiably be accused of crying wolf. So often has she teasingly attempted to display her big-screen talent and failed to perform up to the hype that when her acting abilities finally materialised no one was inclined to take notice.
To be fair, what she has, until Evita, failed to do is demonstrate the ability to command a film (consider Shanghai Surprise, Who's That Girl? and Body Of Evidence ).
When she lends support, as she did in Dick Tracy (1990) and A League Of Their Own (Pearl, 9.30 pm), the burden of responsibility slips from her slight shoulders and she appears to relax into the roles.
Her performance in Penny Marshall's League as all-the-way Mae Mordabito is honest, strong and thoroughly likable, the pressure eased because the lead sits fair and squarely on the broad shoulders of Geena Davis.
The plot revolves around the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League which was established in 1943 when the ranks of professional baseball players were being depleted as the men went off to war.
