|
|
|
|
|
Though it’s been 60 years since the death of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe, her star shines on. There’s just something about her movies and her mystique—her bubbly on-screen persona lost in a story of pain and tragedy—that still fascinates movie buffs. And all of the tragedy is on display in Blonde, the controversial drama inspired by the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates.
Blonde takes a fictional look at the life of the legendary actress, who grew up with an unstable single mother (Julianne Nicholson) before being sent away to an orphanage when her mother was hospitalized for her mental illness. But that childhood trauma was just the beginning for Norma Jean (Ana de Armas), who moved from a modeling career to acting to superstardom while the people around her continued to take advantage of her. And as Marilyn Monroe became a household name, Norma Jean struggled with relationships, her career, and her mental health.
Though the film is based on a fictionalized version of the life of Marilyn Monroe, and though the film was designed to be shocking and scandalous, with its nudity and threesomes and graphic encounters, there really aren’t a whole lot of surprises here—from abusive relationships and assault to instability and addiction. The film just takes all of the stories and the rumors and puts them on the screen in a way that’s both graphic and tragic. It’s not hard to see why, though audiences loved the movie star, a rift continued to grow greater and greater between her public and private personalities—and it’s sometimes so painful to watch what this sweet, damaged woman experienced that you won’t want to look.
At times, in fact, it’s difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction—especially because of this absolutely transformational performance by Ana de Armas, who truly captured the legend’s voice, her style, and her mannerisms, playing her with innocence and charm and the kind of pain that never really leaves her eyes.
Beyond this remarkable performance, though, Blonde isn’t really a remarkable movie. It’s incredibly long and depressing. The story feels hazy and unfocused, often simply touching on different points in the character’s life before skipping along to something else. And the constant shifting from color to black and white—and to different aspect ratios—is simply distracting. It’s certainly an artistic look at the beloved actress and her life, but while it seems to focus on the fact that no one took the time to get to know Norma Jean for who she really was, it doesn’t really allow audiences to get to know her, either.
This fictional biopic definitely has a lot to say about the troubled woman behind the legendary blonde bombshell. But while the lead performance is noteworthy, the rest is little more than an interesting story intent on being scandalous.
Blonde premieres on Netflix on September 28, 2022.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
|
|
|
|
