I'm writing this review a week late. I'm really sorry about that.
Are you over
it now? Good, let's move on.
"Nurse Betty" is an odd little movie, and it's probably not
for everyone. It's not the wacky comedy that the ads make it seem like,
and it's got one moment of extreme, unexpected violence that earned screams
from the audience I was with. It's a very dark, very quirky comedy that
centers around a woman who's not exactly the most mentally stable person
in the world. While many people will have problems with this movie, I
enjoyed every minute of it.
The cast of "Nurse Betty" is a big reason for it being so good.
It centers around Renée Zellweger, and there's no actress in Hollywood
better at playing the sweet, adorable character that's required of "Betty."
Also, there's Morgan Freeman, perhaps one of the greatest living actors
today. He has the kinda presence that most actors would kill for. Chris
Rock is also in the movie, and though he's certainly not the best actor
in the world, he goes on occasional ad-libbed riffs that are familiar
to fans of Rock's comedy (myself included), and it's always funny. Greg
Kinnear is also in the movie, and he's always good. Then there's oddball
Crispin Glover ("George McFly," the father of "Marty McFly"
in "Back to the Future"), Allison Janney (she was the weird
guidance counselor in "10
Things I Hate About You" and the wife of the former Marine as
played by Chris Cooper in "American
Beauty"), and finally Aaron Eckhart (Julia Roberts' biker boyfriend
in "Erin
Brockovich"), sporting a laughably awful mullet haircut.
"Nurse Betty" was written by John C. Richards and James Flamberg,
and this is their debut as writers. I look forward to seeing more outta
these talented guys. As for the director, it was Neil LaBute. If you're
unfamiliar with the work of Neil LaBute, then go to the video store and
check out "In
the Company of Men" and "Your
Friends and Neighbors," two very good, but disturbing movies
that he wrote and directed. LaBute has a way of writing dialogue that's
very realistic, and there are always moments that shock you. That being
said, this is LaBute's third time directing, and it's the first time he
directs from a script he didn't write. He's definitely improved as a director,
because in his first two films, he seemed more concerned with the writing
and the acting, and then he just put a camera where he felt it should
be. With "Nurse Betty," he actually uses the camera in a way
that a director SHOULD use a camera. I mean, this guy isn't Scorsese,
but his directing skills have vastly improved.
By the way,
Neil LaBute has used Aaron Eckhart in all of his movies so far, and I hope
this continues. I like them both a lot, and they seem to belong together.
Even though it's a strange movie, I liked "Nurse Betty" a
lot. Then again, I'm attracted to strange movies. Sometimes, I like a movie
that's incomprehensibly strange, like "Eraserhead." But even though
it's not your typical movie, "Nurse Betty" has a sweetness to
it that shines, and that's due to the wonderful performance by Renée Zellweger.
I dunno, I liked it, but if it's not your cup of tea, that's okay. As I
said (wrote), this isn't a movie for everybody.