Maddman: The Story Of Steve Madden

In his sophomore feature "Maddman: The Steve Madden Story," documentarian Ben Patterson would have us believe that Steve Madden, the man behind the shoe brand of the same name, is, at worse, just a bit of a rough diamond. From his humble beginnings in Queens, NY,� this self-made man found he had a natural affinity for selling women's shoes, which he much preferred than having to study in University.�

However, both of these activities allowed him to indulge in a hedonistic drug and alcohol-fueled lifestyle, which he and his friends from childhood still recount with glee.�Then, after working for a footwear wholesaler in New York's garment district, Madden set up his own shoe business operating out of a car that was both his office and delivery vehicle.

Although he never studied design, Madden had developed a natural flair for being able to predict what young women wanted to wear successfully.� His first shoes were a little like him: Crude, simple and clunky. But also like him, they were enormously popular, and soon he opened his very first retail store.

That soon became a whole chain after an old friend�Danny Porush�suggested that his brokerage firm, which was looking to finance new businesses, could help him expand. It worked, and after an extremely successful public launch, Madden went overnight from struggling to pay his rent to owning a private jet. However, the deal was far from being as legitimate as it should have been, and in 2002 Madden was subsequently convicted of stock manipulation and securities fraud.

As well as earning Madden a 31-month jail sentence, the conviction also won him some celebrity notoriety as the episode was re-created in the movie 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' with actor Steve Hoffman playing Madden.

Now, middle-aged and stuck in jail, Madden finally decided it was time to settle down. He started courting Wendy, his director of operations, whom he married when he was freed. They started a family together.

Most of the footage that Patterson uses of Madden at work is of the present time. In chaotic offices piled high with discarded samples, Madden bawls at his team to keep enforcing his belief that he only knows best. However, since Madden is unable legally to be an officer of the company, there is now a very young C.E.O.,�Edward R. Rosenfeld, who leads the business while Madden remains the head of design.

In the years following his release, the company's success and profit soared, which Patterson (and Madden) would have us believe is down to only one man. However, it is clear to others that the days when businesses like this were run by autocratic megalomaniacs are well and truly over, even if Madden will never accept the fact.�

We occasionally see hints that not everyone is enamored with the rather unlikable Madden, but Patterson treads rather sycophantically and is far too careful in presenting his subject in a sympathetic light. It's an intriguing film, but a wasted opportunity nevertheless, and at the end of the 90 minutes we feel a little like the people at the beginning who were unable to answer the question: 'Who is Steve Madden?'