Review of Nurse Betty (2000) by Nate Z — 23 Feb 2006

[font=Arial][color=darkred]Can a fairy tale have a dark unertone to it below all the bubbly whinsicalness? Hell, the Grimm tales were barbaric before they became homogenized, sanitized, and finally Disneytized. 'Nurse Betty' presents a modern day fairy tale with the strike of reality always below it -- the strike of darkness and dissapointment. Fairy tales are an escape from this, but what if one creates her own fairy tale and chooses to believe in it over the drab reality she presides in?[/color][/font].

[font=Arial][color=darkred]Neil LaBute, the director of the incessantly dark 'In the Company of Men' and 'Your Friends and Neighbors', collects together a whimsical modern day fable with a top-notch cast. Yes, to those fans of earlier LaBute offeriengs his name doesn't seem synonimous with whimiscal comedy - but in this flick LaBute cuts his teeth in the mainstream and earns his stripes if ever.[/color][/font].

[font=Arial][color=darkred]Little baby-voiced and rosy-cheeked Renee Zellweger plays our heroine in diner worker and soap opera fanatic Betty. Betty finds solace from her life featuring a sleazy spouse, played with marvelous flair by Aaron Eckhart, in her favorite soap opera. When her louch of a hubby isn't wiping his hands on the kitchen curtains or banging his secretary he tries proposing drug deals for shady characters. A recent drug peddling snafu sets him up to an ominous encounter with hitmen team Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock. Through a jarring scene of violence Betty's husband is left brutally murdered and the only witness is Betty herself. The event causes Betty to slip into a fractured psychological state where she believes the world of her soap opera is alive and real with herself a vital character. She hops in one of her dead hubby's used cars and drives off toward California to meet the doctor/soap star of her dreams in Greg Kinnear.[/color][/font].

[font=Arial][color=darkred]Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock mistake Betty for a criminal mastermind and believe her to have taken the drugs and run. They embark on their own mad dash to capture her and finish the job they were paid to complete. Along the way Betty encounters many people that are at first confused but ultimately charmed by this dilusional dame. Through a series of events she meets up with the eternally smarmy Kinnear and begins to learn what happens when a fantasy is corrupted by the dissapointment of reality. Allison Janney has a small part as a network executive that shines strong, and Crispen "McFly" Glovin is just nice to see in a film again. He doesn't seem to age though. Maybe he has that Dick Clark disease.[/color][/font].

[font=Arial][color=darkred]The flow of 'Betty' is well paced and a smart mix between drama, whimsy, and dark humor. Overlooking some sudden bursts of violence bookending the film it comes across as a sweet yet intelligent satire and fable. Betty is looking for her Prince Charming but will later laern that she doesn't need one, that she is the fairy tale happy ending inside her.[/color][/font].

[font=Arial][color=darkred]The acting of 'Nurse Betty' is never in danger of flatlining. Zelwegger is a loveable and good natured heroine. Freeman is a strong and deceptively hilarious actor along side a caustic yet down-to-earth Rock. And I make an out going pondery if there is an actor alive out there that can do smarmy better than Kinnear -- I think not.[/color][/font].

[font=Arial][color=darkred]'Nurse Betty' is a wonderful surprise. Check into your local theater, take one showing, and call me in the morning. You'll be glad you did.[/color][/font].

[font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: A- [/color][/font].