I
must admit that I have never been one for soap operas. There are people in my
life, however, that do enjoy watching them. My mother is a religious All My Children
freak, while my wife Tonja watches Days of Our Lives when ever she can. The soap
opera is a fascinating phenomenon. Why so many people are engrossed by them, I
don't fully understand. Perhaps it's because they're such an exaggerated and overly
glamorous view of how we ourselves live our daily lives. At least that's what
the new film Nurse Betty sort of implies.
Nurse
Betty was directed by BYU graduate Neil LaBute, and while his early films (In
the Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors) are brilliant, many consider
them abrasive, misogynistic, and mean spirited. They are interesting character
studies that delve into the minds of some of the most dysfunctional and brutal
people you will ever see in a film. Nurse Betty also offers a look at some characters
that have similar traits, but takes a much gentler road getting to it's point.
I've
always had a hard time completely understanding Renee Zellweger's appeal (although
I did like her in Jerry Maguire) but here she soars in a career-defining performance.
It's not that this is a deep rooted role, but she manages to ooze likability,
and brings a kind of warmth and openness that few actresses could have matched.
In
the film, Zellweger plays the title role, a sweet young woman with a nasty husband
who gets a chance at a new life when an unexpected tragedy takes place. Following
the traumatic event, Betty becomes trapped in a psychological fantasy, and believes
that her favorite soap, Reason to Live (it takes place in a hospital), isn't a
soap at all, but a real place with real people. And since her favorite actor of
all time (played to perfection by Greg Kinnear) is in the show, Betty believes
that they were once an item, so she packs it up and heads out on a road trip to
win back the supposed love of her life.
Many
other things are going on in the well rounded and completely absorbing Nurse Betty.
There are two hitmen played with dynamic flair by Morgan Freeman, and Chris Rock
who believe Betty is some kind of genius femme fatale, and are hot on her trail
to recover stolen merchandise. They embark on their own road trip in which they
engage in some nifty dialogue that Quentin Tarantino probably cut from Pulp Fiction.
Thankfully, it never becomes annoying as it did in Way of the Gun because these
characters are so engaging.
Perhaps
the strong point in the glorious Nurse Betty is it's winning screenplay. John
C. Richards and James Flamberg have devised clever ways to juggle all of there
plotlines into a funny, whimsical, often touching take on The Wizard of Oz. I
also enjoyed how everything going on in the real life scenario is just as absurd,
if not more so, than the crazy antics going on within A Reason To Live. This is
certainly one of the best screenplays of the year. Nurse Betty tips it's hat to
films like Pulp Fiction, Soap Dish, Fisher King, and countless others, while remaining
fresh, exciting, and wildly unpredictable.
Director
LaBute shows that he is a very capable and versatile film maker who will be around
for quite some time. This is an expertly directed piece of entertainment in which
LaBute demonstrates true skill with great timing and a wonderful sense of humor.
He even pays homage to other film makers including the Coen Brothers, the previously
mentioned Tarantino, and Robert Altman.
I'd
also like to mention Zellweger again, because she really adds a lot of power to
this film, as a woman who seems to bewitch people everywhere she goes. This film
could have been called There's Something About Betty. It should also be noted
that the pivitol scene between Freeman and Zellweger, features some of the most
memorable acting of the year.
In
an extremely mediocre year for movies, things are looking up. The fantastic Nurse
Betty takes us out of a very disheartening slump. LaBute and company have made
an endearing charmer.
