After two acclaimed independent films in which he took a troubling look at male/female relations, director Neil LaBute moves on to less controversial ground in this dark comedy. Betty Sizemore (Renee Zellweger) is a woman from Kansas City who waits tables at a diner and is married to an insensitive thug named Del (Aaron Eckhart). One of Betty's few pleasures in life is the soap opera A Reason to Love. Her favorite character is handsome Dr. David Ravell, played by George McCord (Greg Kinnear).
One night, Del gets involved in a drug deal with a pair of gangsters, Charlie (Morgan Freeman) and his sidekick Wesley (Chris Rock). Del's thoughtless racial slurs lead to an arguement, and the short-tempered Wesley attacks him; Charlie is forced to kill Del, as Betty watches. Dazed and in shock, Betty hops into her car, deciding that the time is right for a date with destiny. Betty tracks down George McCord, and soon the soap's producer Lyla (Allison Janney) is considering Betty for a part on A Reason to Love, not realizing that Betty doesn't want to play Dr. Ravell's nurse and fiance, she wants to be her. Betty, meanwhile, has no idea that the drugs that Del was trying to sell are still in her car, and that Charlie and Wesley are hot on her trail, determined to get the dope and silence her once and for all. Nurse Betty also features Kathleen Wilhoite, Crispin Glover, and Pruitt Taylor Vince. The film was shown in competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the prize for Best Screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The actors hold the movie together, particularly Ms. Zellweger and Mr. Freeman, whose characters achieve a remarkable intimacy in a most unlikely situation.
In his third, most accomplished film, LaBute puts aside the inquiry of misogyny that dominated his previous work and immerses himself in a lighter romantic fable about the collision of fantasy and reality, with a terrific performance from Renee Zelwegger
As it overdoses on quirks and violence, Nurse Betty isn't always the right prescription. But observing Zellweger as she dispenses her brand of movie magic definitely is good for what ails you.
Despite cringing at many of Betty's deluded interactions with the residents of her final destination and the director's seeming lack of faith in the believability of many of the scenes, Nurse Betty still turns out to be entertaining.
LaBute is working from a script that's blessedly free of his mechanized story construction and showboating, faux-Mamet dialogue. And guess what? He turns out to be a fine director.
This bizarrely funny satire/allegory from the maker of heavier fare such as In the Company of Men works on a surprising number of levels, not the least of which is perhaps the first human Renee Zellweger performance I have ever seen.
With Nurse Betty, Zellweger moves fully into the realm of leading lady. Her crooked mouth and mousey voice notwithstanding, I wouldn't think it would be out of the question for her to garner an Oscar nomination for this excellent performance...
Neil LaBute's "Nurse Betty" is a remarkable film. While LaBute takes a lot from The Coen Brothers (determinism, shades of existential violence, a dash of film noir) and David Lynch (the collision of fantasy and reality) which cements his role as opportunist rather than auteur, "Nurse Betty" remains fresh, vibrant and
funny. The film incredibly manages to balance three completely different avenues and makes them cohesive. You have hit men Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock in one section, the psychotically broken Betty and her adventures in Los Angeles in another and then characters from small town Kansas rounding things out. The film manages to find a way to intertwine these aspects in a satisfying and intriguing way, always remembering the the truth behind this wacky scenario. "Nurse Betty" shouldn't work, it should have been a massive, convoluted mess. But it's not. It's an incredibly sly, biting and extremely heartfelt picture with a dynamite Renee Zellweger at it's center.
May 24, 2011
Steven Carrier
Super Reviewer
A biting dark comedy with a refreshingly odd premise, "Nurse Betty" is another truly original film from director Neil LaBute. Like most of his films (INCLUDING "The Wicker Man") you sometimes don't know when to laugh, cry, or cringe... but that is precisely what makes (most of) his films so memorable and wonderful.
Indeed, "Nurse Betty" is a wonderful film; easily ranking with LaBute's best. Stellar writing, colorful characters, and hilariously awkward situations abound, while Renee Zellweger has never been more lovable, infectious, or charismatic as she is here. A great, slightly-twisted chunk of entertainment.
No quotes approved yet for Nurse Betty. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Nurse Betty'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
