Directed by:
Andrew DominikScreenplay:
Andrew DominikCinematography:
Chayse IrvinCast:
Ana de Armas, Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel, Lucy DeVito, Sara Paxton, Garret Dillahunt, Scoot McNairy, Toby Huss (more)VOD (1)
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Based on the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves. (Venice International Film Festival)
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Reviews (9)
A dark retro downer with a bold artistic signature, a specific formal aesthetic and a riveting performance by Ana de Armas, who plays her most ambitious and challenging role to date. In terms of expressive means, Andrew Dominik sometimes wants to resemble Terrence Malick, especially with his efforts at long, heartfelt expositions and voice-overs, but he only succeeds halfway. Malick is an expert at this and chooses stories better suited to his style where he can afford to do that. It is better to watch long shots of "sounds of nature" than to watch a 3-minute shot of a crying, lost girl, however brilliantly acted. At times formal refinement, but at other times sheer suffering for the viewer.
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Andrew Dominik recreates the heavy atmosphere surrounding Norma Jean’s horrific life right from the very first scene, with Hollywoodland in flames. His work with the picture, alternating cameras, colors and lighting and even picture size surprisingly enhances the storytelling, rather than being a distraction. Ana de Armas’ performance is fantastic, styled as housewife on the brink of madness, slash promiscuous movie star. The way the story is broken up into separate scenes is sometimes confusing, but necessary, otherwise the movie would have to last four hours. The dream and drug sequences at the end are a delight. The premiere of Some Like It Hot ("I Love Love Love You All") with the monster photographers is the high point of the whole movie. It is certainly more watchable than Mank, but Blonde just isn’t a movie for everybody. If you let it, it’ll swallow you whole. P.S.: The White House scene is far from a disappointment!
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I'm not going to sugarcoat it or try to find reasons to like this film even a little. Blonde is an art house nightmare. Sure, Ana de Armas goes all in with her performance, especially in those intense, nerve-racking scenes. I believe her effort, but the lack of logic and coherence is just too much for me. Based on an unauthorized biography, the film blurs the line between truth and fiction. Marilyn Monroe is portrayed as a tragic figure who endured all the worst Hollywood had to offer. It's often unbearable, which is probably the film's only strong suit — it's genuinely uncomfortable and emotionally taxing to watch. This reminds me of films by Gaspar Noé, but unlike Blonde, his films keep me intrigued about what's coming next because they feel more believable. Here, I just didn't care. The unbearable length made me feel like I was barely surviving through it.
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Almost three hours of "misery porn" with a made-for-TV quality that kills with its mood and visual monotony after the first 45 minutes. Ana de Armas gives a committed and engaging performance, but I would have liked to have seen her in a differently conceived film. A couple of scenes (especially the ones with the embryo) explicitly crossed the line into emotionally extortionate kitsch.
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Rewriting a fictional biography is a problematic category in and of itself. I dismissed Joyce Carol Oates' book years ago considering all the fabrications therein, but the filmmakers found it interesting to take this material and base an experimental look at the life of the eternally unhappy Marilyn Monroe on it. People who don't know the era and the old movies won't appreciate anything about it. MM fans and connoisseurs continue to prefer any other biopic (including the problematic My Week with Marilyn), while others may not care about this Netflix event. Blonde is just another pointless affair. It is instead important to point out that a film about or with MM has been in the works since her untimely death and thus is nothing new under the sun.
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