So I saw Blonde, one of the best and worst movies of the year.
How is that possible? A lot of its strengths are also weaknesses. A lot of the controversy around this movie is its portrayal of Marilyn Monroe. I will say that if you would like to keep your image of her as a strong, feminist icon intact, don't watch this movie. It very much shows her as a lost, vulnerable ditz who kind of went through life never thinking about anything and letting others control her. But I think that was intentional, maybe? The movie is based on a book that fictionalized her life to explore the character (see The Last Temptation of Christ), and I would guess that behind the scenes, she wasn't the empowered woman she tried to present herself as, and the movie is using its artistic license to show that. However, I do think it goes too far at times and the over-the-top, cartoonish caricature can get grating after awhile. So I totally understand the complaints and I probably wouldn't argue with anyone about it.
The style also threw a few people. It's not your average biopic, it's more of a trippy, stream of consciousness type style. I actually enjoyed it. I thought it fit the wild life they were trying to portray and also added more entertainment value to the movie. However, this too could get old sometimes. I've only seen one of Andrew Dominik's other movies, Killing Them Softly, which I didn't like, but I kind of get the sense this is a bit of a self-indulgent director.
One aspect everyone seems to agree on is that Ana de Armas was fantastic, at least with what she had to work with. I don't see this movie getting a ton of Oscar nods, but maybe she will, we'll see.
Finally, let's talk about that NC-17 rating. This is the first Netflix release to have one, and honestly, I hoped it would be the movie to break the barrier for NC-17 rated movies to be allowed in theaters (provided the workers do their job and don't let underage people in) and for moviegoers to stop automatically thinking of them as pornos. I don't know if this movie will do that with all the negative reactions it's getting, but I guess time will tell. If you're wondering about the content that got it that rating, I'll try to explain without TMI. To be quite honest, if we're just talking about the quantity of sex or nude scenes or even how graphic they are, I've seen worse in some R-rated movies and even some TV shows. However, there are some specific acts portrayed here that wouldn't normally be in a mainstream movie and this movie does dwell on it a bit, so I would guess that's why it's NC-17.
Would I recommend the movie? I can't honestly say. If you've heard all of the reactions and still think it sounds interesting, then go for it. But if you think some of the negative aspects people have brought up might turn you off, I'd recommend staying away because they're all basically true.
+-3/5
How is that possible? A lot of its strengths are also weaknesses. A lot of the controversy around this movie is its portrayal of Marilyn Monroe. I will say that if you would like to keep your image of her as a strong, feminist icon intact, don't watch this movie. It very much shows her as a lost, vulnerable ditz who kind of went through life never thinking about anything and letting others control her. But I think that was intentional, maybe? The movie is based on a book that fictionalized her life to explore the character (see The Last Temptation of Christ), and I would guess that behind the scenes, she wasn't the empowered woman she tried to present herself as, and the movie is using its artistic license to show that. However, I do think it goes too far at times and the over-the-top, cartoonish caricature can get grating after awhile. So I totally understand the complaints and I probably wouldn't argue with anyone about it.
The style also threw a few people. It's not your average biopic, it's more of a trippy, stream of consciousness type style. I actually enjoyed it. I thought it fit the wild life they were trying to portray and also added more entertainment value to the movie. However, this too could get old sometimes. I've only seen one of Andrew Dominik's other movies, Killing Them Softly, which I didn't like, but I kind of get the sense this is a bit of a self-indulgent director.
One aspect everyone seems to agree on is that Ana de Armas was fantastic, at least with what she had to work with. I don't see this movie getting a ton of Oscar nods, but maybe she will, we'll see.
Finally, let's talk about that NC-17 rating. This is the first Netflix release to have one, and honestly, I hoped it would be the movie to break the barrier for NC-17 rated movies to be allowed in theaters (provided the workers do their job and don't let underage people in) and for moviegoers to stop automatically thinking of them as pornos. I don't know if this movie will do that with all the negative reactions it's getting, but I guess time will tell. If you're wondering about the content that got it that rating, I'll try to explain without TMI. To be quite honest, if we're just talking about the quantity of sex or nude scenes or even how graphic they are, I've seen worse in some R-rated movies and even some TV shows. However, there are some specific acts portrayed here that wouldn't normally be in a mainstream movie and this movie does dwell on it a bit, so I would guess that's why it's NC-17.
Would I recommend the movie? I can't honestly say. If you've heard all of the reactions and still think it sounds interesting, then go for it. But if you think some of the negative aspects people have brought up might turn you off, I'd recommend staying away because they're all basically true.
+-3/5