Click to read the article
The Notorious Bettie Page (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:130
Fresh:72
Rotten:58
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: This biopic only skims the surface of Bettie Page's life, leaving her as a cipher, and additionally fails to place her iconic status in historical context.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for nudity, sexual content and some language.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Apr 14, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $1,374,990
Synopsis: Director Mary Harron (I SHOT ANDY WARHOL) and writer Guinevere Turner (GO FISH, THE L WORD) deliver a loving, whimsical biopic of the century's greatest pinup queen. The film also offers a highly... Director Mary Harron (I SHOT ANDY WARHOL) and writer Guinevere Turner (GO FISH, THE L WORD) deliver a loving, whimsical biopic of the century's greatest pinup queen. The film also offers a highly relevant commentary on the sexual mores of the 1950s, as well as stunning cinematography by W. Mott Hupfel III that perfectly captures the age. Played by the lovely Gretchen Mol (THE SHAPE OF THINGS) in a career-making performance, Bettie Page is portrayed as a sweet but strangely wise naïf from Tennessee, buffeted by circumstances outside her control but buoyed by an innate, cheerful optimism. After an abusive marriage and a brutal gang rape, Bettie flees to New York and begins a modeling career, for which she has a natural talent and which she does with an uncommon joy and palpable enthusiasm. She also begins acting lessons, but what really changes her life are the bondage photographs she takes with Irving and Paula Klaw (Chris Bauer and Lili Taylor). Shot in the basement of the Klaws' celebrity photography business, Bettie's photographs were among the first harbingers of a society's awakening sexuality, and her ability to project boundless delight--no matter what activity she is engaged in--is truly remarkable to behold. Eschewing the sensational, the film instead unfolds at a leisurely pace, lacking much cohesive narrative and revealing the mundane realities of the life of a notoriously glamorous figure. The story is bookended by the trial the Klaws were subjected to for selling obscene materials, which led to Bettie's retirement to her much-loved Miami getaway and a rediscovered devotion to Jesus. [More]
Starring: Gretchen Mol, Guinevere Turner, Lili Taylor, Jonathan M. Woodward
Starring: Gretchen Mol, Guinevere Turner, Lili Taylor, Jonathan M. Woodward, David Strathairn, Cara Seymour, Tara Subkoff, Kevin Carroll, Chris Bauer, Jared Harris, Sarah Paulson, John Cullum, Matt McGrath, Austin Pendleton, Norman Reedus, Dallas Roberts, Victor Slezak
Director: Mary Harron
Director: Mary Harron
Studio: Picturehouse
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Release:
Sep 26, 2006
Reviews for The Notorious Bettie Page
We can't always be sure what's archival and what's simulated because sometimes the filmmakers are trying to fool us. But their preoccupation with the manufacture of images keeps this exercise in exposure and concealment interesting.
Mol's guile-free performance captures what seems to be the essence of Bettie Page, that of a woman who could turn dirty pictures into good clean fun.
About a time when taking off one's clothes for a camera was notorious. We can't go back there, but this is an enjoyable, uncritical visit.
The film is a superficial biographical drama that reveals next to nothing new about its subject.
It isn't a bad film, but it isn't a good film, either. Basically, it's a movie that doesn't have a good reason for having been made.
Harron should have stuck with black and white and filled in her story with more shades of gray.
It's a bit of a folly, but The Notorious Bettie Page has a kind of sweetness, and a refreshing lack of haughty nobility, that makes it of interest.
The character's lack of dimension rarely hampers the frisky retro fun.
The Notorious Bettie Page is a perfect example of a film that has a subject but no story.
This listless biopic of the famed 1950s model is as timid and tame as her photos seem today.
... it doesn't bring us any closer to understanding Page's life, or the origins of the multi-billion dollar porn industry.
To attempt to re-create this is a bit of a folly, but The Notorious Bettie Page has a kind of sweetness, and a refreshing lack of haughty nobility, that makes it of interest.
Less an exposé than a wide-angle exposure of Gretchen Mol, who would measure up as a calendar girl in any decade.
Content to skate along the shiny surface of a potentially fascinating subject, it's a monotonously upbeat would-be romp.
Latest News for The Notorious Bettie Page
March 09, 2006:
South By Southwest Festival Starts Friday
The annual South by Southwest film and music festival kicks off on Friday. Held in Austin, TX, SXSW will showcase 150 feature films and 130 shorts, including the regional... More...
February 06, 2006:
SXSW Promises Vendettas, Betties, Dreamz & Slithers
In addition to a ton of low-budget, independent, documentary, and dramatic films, this year's South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival promises a rather flashy infusement of... More...
January 30, 2006:
Trailer Bulletin: The Notorious Bettie Page
One of the most well-received narrative flicks at last year's Toronto Film Festival was "The Notorious Bettie Page," which comes from the writing/directing team behind... More...
January 24, 2006:
Tackling her life as a feature film is a brilliant idea. ![]()
More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Notorious Bettie Page at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Notorious Bettie Page at IGN
- The Notorious Bettie Page at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


