Nurse Betty
Critics like me tend to complain about comedies when they use humor and situations similar to those of a sitcom. I've always wondered what would happen if someone made an entire movie in that style of comedy and "Nurse Betty" appears to be the answer. It's a story that isn't really believable but takes place in such a seemingly innocent world with characters who are always in the right (or wrong) places at the right time.
Renee Zellweger stars as Betty, a simple-minded (but not ditzy) Kansas waitress whose husband is a crooked used car dealer who does something to get him in trouble with the local drug pipeline and is offed by two hitmen. Betty witnesses the murder and is so shocked she goes into a state of denial so far removed from reality it borders on insanity. She believes she is a nurse on her favorite soap opera and decides to trek from Kansas to Los Angeles to find her "long lost love" - the dashing heart surgeon "Dr. David Rivell."
If this story sounds familiar don't be surprised, it's been used many times over the years in sitcoms and usually doesn't work well. However, "Friends" was able to pull it off the season Joey became a regular on "Days Of Our Lives." He played a brain surgeon and Brooke Shields was his obsessed admirer who doesn't know it's just a TV show (instead of running from the nutty stalker Joey dates her but it turns out to be more than he can handle). That's a good premise for a half-hour show but somehow the makers of this movie are able to expand it to nearly two hours without filling up the running time with mindless guffaws, one-liners and slapstick. It's actually quite witty and satirical and seems to show even more promise than what it actually delivers.
As Betty makes her way to L.A. she meets strangers along the way and quickly befriends them with her story of her hope to reunite with her old flame. Zellweger is so darn cute and charming you almost get a cavity watching her! She practically a 5-year-old girl trapped in the body of a full grown woman. It's a cartoony characteristic and it works well because Zellweger acts so well. I can't really picture anyone else pulling off this character.
Little does Betty know she's being tailed by the same two hitmen who killed her husband. They didn't realize she witnessed the event and need to silence her, plus the fact the car she's driving is carrying their drug booty in the trunk. Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock co-star as the father and son hired guns. Both actors are fantastic in their respective roles because their characters have most of the same qualities and mannerisms as those they've played in their previous films. To say they've been typecast is an understatement. Freeman is the wise father trying to give his hyperactive, loud-mouth son a lesson in manners, patience, history and even ethics. Rock is often hysterical with his constant wise-cracks and quips about his father's behavior and old fashioned beliefs. There's a scene where the two stop at the Grand Canyon at night that totally defines them. Freeman marvels at the beauty and significance of the Canyon while Rock chides him for wanting to see a big hole in the ground at night ("You can't even see it!" he exclaims). It's a rare scene of perfect comic timing and chemistry.
Most of the screenplay involves Betty's search for her dream man and the unexpected encounters she runs into once she reaches L.A. It's told in a lighthearted manner, so much so that at some points it's just silly. Betty runs into one strange coincidence and unexplainable situation after another that you rarely see in feature films because they work better on the small screen. For example, she runs to the aid of a gunshot victim and tries to save his life using a technique she's seen on her hospital soap opera. She really believes she's a nurse and just acts on instinct. This leads to a domino effect of lucky chances in which she gets a nursing job and a roommate in the same day.
Where I have to take issue with "Nurse Betty" is with its storyline from here on out. It's clear to us Betty needs help but when the supporting characters realize she's not of sound mind they don't really do anything about it. This comes to a boiling point when she actually meets the actor in person who plays the doctor she's in love with from television and talks to him as if he were the character. The actor (played by Greg Kinnear with good use of vanity) thinks she's just an actress trying to get a spot on his show and plays along, almost mesmerised by how great her "performance" is. It's a sub-plot difficult to buy despite the great acting. As adorable as Betty is, it's difficult to believe how long they wait to tell her to "quit fooling around and be serious."
I didn't like the ending, it's a little too bleak for what had been such an enjoyable, fluffy, feel-good movie. It could have been handled better without the attempt at seriousness. The film's not a black comedy, it's a cute satire and the extremities are unnecessary. In fact, the film might have been even better had it spread the lightness of it all on even thicker. There's a PG movie in here, the R movie it turned out to be is fine, but it's just the slightest bit forced.
Despite the flaws to "Nurse Betty" there's still a lot to like. The performances by Zellweger, Rock and Freeman are excellent and might be Oscar-worthy come winter. The story is so enjoyable to follow you feel like you're a kid watching a Disney movie.
GRADE: B
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