Director: Andrew Dominik
Writer/s: Andrew Dominik, Joyce Carol Oates
Starring: Ana de Armas, Lily Fisher, Julianne Nicholson, and more.

The Intro:
Netflix presents the Marilyn Monroe “biographical” drama “Blonde” starring Ana de Armas! This has been a hotly contested film up to its release due to casting, the approach to the story, and content. So now it’s time to get a load of what this is all about. Here’s the Oberrated Review on “Blonde!”

IMDb Summary:
“A fictionalized chronicle of the inner life of Marilyn Monroe.”

The Oberrating:
Yeah, “fictionalized” sure is right. For one, this is a solid LOOSE portrayal of the story of Norma/Marilyn. It’s a damn shame the amount of trauma she was brought up through and thus had to live in as well as the amount of adversity she faced as the “all eyes on me” sex symbol persona she developed as Marilyn Monroe. However this is a film adaptation of a loosely based novel written about her. A loosely based novel with hardly any supporting evidence to the claims that she lived through which are presented and adapted to film with “Blonde.” On that fact, this is just dramatic garbage and no where near a biography despite the IMDb summary stating it being a fictional account. So much so you practically could make this a fictional piece of work with any random character rather than using Marilyn’s name.

Another bone I have to pick with not so much the film itself, but the MPAA who rates the films. “Blonde” was deemed the rare NC-17 rating due to graphic sex scenes, nudity, and overall hard to watch moments. Honestly, i’ve seen worse material in R-rated films than in “Blonde.” So all of this hype about it being NC-17 is seems a bit extra to me.

Now here’s where my conflicted status comes in – Miss Ana de Armas. Ana DOES THE DAMN THING! Ana is incredible in her role as Norma/Marilyn. There are a few occasions where you hear her Cuban accent come through, but otherwise the physical, mental, and overall troubled state of being that she portrays is simply astounding. I could see this possibly being an Oscar-worthy performance.

Next to Ana is this production quality. The music is great, the cinematography is exceptional, and there are some really sick and unique edits that they make throughout the film that really establishes the troubled and frantic vibe of “Blonde.” This is another occasion where the production value really exceeds the film itself.

The Wrap-Up:
To be honest, I could argue a higher rating but this is where my heart sat at once I finished “Blonde.” By the hour mark I already thought that this seemed too long and as it kept running that feeling became amplified. On top of that, I feel this adaptation of the novel on the grounds of fiction and false events leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So that also doesn’t help my overall reception of the movie. However, don’t let that distract you from the fact that Ana de Armas is magnificent in her role as Norma Jean/Marilyn Monroe and that the production value of “Blonde” is something to truly appreciate. I don’t know who to convince or direct a recommendation to in order to watch this, but if you’re interested enough to sink 2 hours and 43 minutes into this fictional piece of work inspired by Marilyn Monroe, well head on over to Netflix then.

Rating: 2/5

References:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655389/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655389/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm


Edited by Abby McNatt




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