Review of The Notorious Bettie Page (2006) by Anna C — 09 Mar 2008

This movie was not bad for what it was but should have been advertised ALOT differently. Rather than focusing on her rise to stardom and the complex and tricky task that Page had, (exploring new forms of sexuality and introducing it to the mainstream), this film explores her inner struggle with sexuality and morality. This in itself could be quite interesting but Page is often depicted with a simpleton's intelligence and a childish understanding of herself and her occupation. This is where it gets dull because she becomes the dewy-eyed airhead with almost no personality beyond the stereotypical country bumpkin. She meant well, but gosh-darn, she just hadn't thought about what she was actually doing! So she of course, becomes a born-again Christian and devotes herself to making amends for the horrible things she's done.

You spend the entire move wanting to see a bold, sassy Page that has control of her destiny, made artistic career decisions and crafted herself a niche market in leather and PVC, but apparently the filmmakers believed she did not exist. "The Notorious" should have been titled, "the Ignorant".