Blonde: Movie Review

Ana de Armas in Blonde (2022)

Reviewer's note: There will be mentions of SA so please do not read or what this movie if that is a sensitive topic for you.

An up close and intimate look at Marilyn Monroe's life by director Andrew Dominik. Based on the fictional 2000 novel by the same name, Dominik takes a look at what made Marilyn a pop culture icon.

Ana de Armas stars as Norma Jean, also known as Marilyn Monroe, an actress and singer that spent most of her life being treated as less than and abused. If it wasn't her mom when she was a child then it was producers, directors, co-stars, and husbands. The almost three-hour movie takes an almost perverse look at her life and focuses on the wrong details.

Had this spent more time talking about how she overcame everything and not on the rape and abuse that she suffered through then maybe it would have been better. The film looks at only what was bad in her life. Never really shows Marilyn when she was happy and turned her into an almost sexual creature when her abuse made her almost shy away from anything sexual. Because this was based on a fictional book it can be assumed that some of the stories didn't happen.

The choice to make some scenes in black and white and some in color was weird. Maybe there was a reason, one that was never truly explained, but without knowing it the choice was confusing. Was it what really happened or was that a dream? Maybe how she felt the situation took place? We may never know. The scenes with the fetus are also strange and uncalled for. It was added for shock value in a movie that didn't need it.

Armas is the only shining light in this otherwise dull and over-the-top biopic. Her portrayal of Marilyn was perfect and at times you almost forgot it wasn't Marilyn herself. But a great performance in an otherwise dud doesn't help or save a movie. If you are looking for a three-hour movie that will make you confused and uncomfortable then Blonde is for you. Otherwise, you can watch almost anything else on Netflix and have a better time.