"LaBute Lightens Up for 'Betty'"
by Scott Mantz

"Nurse Betty"
Renee Zellweger,
Morgan Freeman
Directed by Neil LaBute

Doctor's orders! Renee Zellweger gets a life in "Nurse Betty"

It's just a TV show. At least, that's what hoards of fanatical soap opera fans are told every time they recite some useless piece of trivia about their favorite small screen characters. For some people, the lives depicted on TV are much more interesting than their own, but as with all forms of entertainment, there's a fine line that separates fantasy from reality. In "Nurse Betty," Renee Zellweger crosses that line, and as a result, she delivers an incredibly appealing and, dare I say it, Oscar-worthy performance.

Betty (Renee Zellweger) is a waitress from Fair Oaks, Kan., whose only joy in life comes from watching actor George McCord (Greg Kinnear) work his magic as Dr. David Rovell on her favorite daytime soap opera. Otherwise, she sleepwalks through her job at the local coffee shop and puts up with an incredible amount of emotional abuse from her used car-dealing slimeball of a husband (Aaron Eckhart). On the evening of her birthday, she witnesses his brutal murder (it's OK--he deserved it) by a pair of disorganized hitmen (Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock). The trauma throws Betty into a state of shock, and in her delusional state, she thinks she's one of the characters from her soap opera. With the hitmen hot on her tail and everyone else oblivious to Betty's confused state, she travels to Los Angeles to re-establish contact with the love of her life, Dr. David Rovell.

By taking a harsh look at how abusive men and women can be to each other in films like "In the Company of Men" and "Your Friends & Neighbors," director Neil LaBute found himself in the same league as other dysfunction-obsessed directors like Todd Solondz ("Happiness") and Paul Thomas Anderson ("Magnolia"). Directing for the first time from a screenplay written by other people (John C. Richards and James Flamberg), LaBute lightens up--sort of--by focusing on some of the most heartfelt characters in any of his films.

That's not to say that "Nurse Betty" isn't without its share of violence. The film is by and large a dark comedy that features one of the most gruesome and violent death scenes since Michael Madsen got, well, an earful in Quentin Tarantino's 1992 directorial debut "Reservoir Dogs." When Betty first arrives in Los Angeles, she is turned down for a nursing job, only to find herself saving the life of a gunned-down gangbanger in a bloody rescue. In her emotional state, she's oblivious to the seriousness of her surroundings, but it's that very detachment that underscores the charm of the film.

Ever since her breakthrough performance in "Jerry Maguire," Renee Zellweger has been waiting for the cows to come home with the right film to capitalize on her strengths. After wallowing in girlfriend-type roles in "The Bachelor" and "Me, Myself, & Irene," Zellweger takes the bull by the horns with "Nurse Betty." She runs through a gamut of emotions, and each one is effectively conveyed with fierce conviction. Her comic timing is dead on, her emotional pain is heartfelt, and through it all, her naive charm is downright adorable.

Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock turn out to be the most appealingly mismatched hitmen to hit the big screen since John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction." The always reliable Freeman delivers an excellent and surprisingly tender performance given the nature of his character, while Rock plays his cold-hearted and sarcastic (big stretch) partner in crime. Topping things off is Greg Kinnear, who adds yet another impressive performance to his resume as the object of Zellweger's desire. His cocky arrogance is milked for all its worth, and he seems to be enjoying himself (maybe a little too much) as the self-obsessed soap opera star.

The film drags for a bit at the beginning, but then it gets going once Zellweger hits the road . While Freeman is in hot pursuit, his feelings for Zellweger change in a way that recalls Captain Willard's evolving emotional connection to Colonel Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now." OK, so maybe that's a bad example, but the point is that as the film progresses, Freeman's character evolves from just being a man on a mission to being a man with a connection.

If there's any fault to be found with "Nurse Betty," it's with the coming attractions. Not only is the film much better than it looks, but it's also one of the best films of the year. Despite its violent nature and dark undertones, "Nurse Betty" is the perfect film to kick-start the fall, and it will leave you smiling and talking about it with your friends long after you leave the theater. But then again, it's just a movie.

Back to Scott's New Movie Reviews

Review Archives