So last night I popped it into my DVD player and after 12 years, watched Nurse Betty for the second time. And for the second time I really enjoyed it. Nurse Betty has remained a well made, funny comedy with lots of laughs and a cool story. And there was so much to this movie that I didn't remember. The story wasn't what I remembered at all, and there were some scenes of intense violence that surprisingly I had forgotten.
After the 12 years from my first viewing I had thought that this film was about a sweet and innocent girl, played by Renee Zellweger, who adores a day time soap opera and stumbles into become the next big cast member. While that is part of the plot, the film is more about Zellweger who witnesses a murder, and in the shock of seeing it, she becomes disillusioned and heads to California to find her 'former fiance' Dr. David Ravell (played by Greg Kinnear). Dr. Ravell is the main character in her favourite soap opera. On her trail are two hit men, played by Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock. As they track Zellweger across the nation, Freeman becomes obsessed with her.
The story has lots of twists and turns and goes in places you wouldn't expect. Case in point is the murder that Zellweger witnesses. The movie up until that point is a cute, somewhat funny film about a down in her luck girl. Then out of nowhere the murder happens, which is not only surprising but shockingly violent. Labute mixes the violence (which doesn't occur to often) nicely with the humour. He zips between intensity and comedy like a seasoned pro making the audience laugh one second and grip there seat in the next.
Working off a screenplay that he didn't write (for the first time) Labute does a great job directing. He gets great performances out of the cast, makes great use of the sets and locations and gets the pacing of the film just right. Together with his cinematographer they have composed some beautiful panoramic shots that make the actors and the scenery a pleasure to behold.
While not as dark as his first two films, Nurse Betty is still a rather dark comedy. Besides the few scenes of extreme violence, the film is a comedy with hit men, drugs and a main character who has suffered a nervous breakdown of sorts and at times seems bat shit crazy. And like Labute's previous efforts, there are many characters here who are just plain assholes. But unlike his previous efforts, there are more likeable characters here than both his past films combined.
While there isn't to much to complain about here, the weakest part of Nurse Betty comes from the music. While not a terrible score, the music itself feels like it belongs to the daytime soap opera that features prominently in the film. The score is slightly cheesy and somewhat simple. There are parts that are better than others but overall it is less than compelling.
Labute has a knack for doing character driven pieces and this film is no exception. While there is a lot more story and events taking place than his last pictures, Nurse Betty is still primarily a character driven movie. Zellweger and Freeman give fantastic performances that make you care about their characters and propel you to keep watching. By the end of the film their characters are so well developed that you end up really caring about what will happen to them. The rest of the cast, while not as developed, still deliver great performances and bring their sometimes quirky characters to life.
While not as scathingly funny as either In the Company of Men or Your Friends and Neighbors, Nurse Betty is still quite funny. It will have you amused and smirking throughout and at times might even have you laughing out loud. With its fun and rather unique story, its likeable and loveable characters and it's great sense of pacing Labute delivers another great film that comes highly recommended and can only make you more excited to see what he does next.
Film Rating: 76%
Breakdown (How Nurse Betty scored 76%):
Production Design: 8 out of 10
Cinematography: 8 out of 10
Re-playability: 7 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Costumes: 8 out of 10
Directing: 8 out of 10
Editing: 7 out of 10
Acting: 8 out of 10
Music: 6 out of 10
Script: 8 out of 10
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