Rating: 
Summary: Ah, finally a film comedy that works!
Review: Having sat through a slew of half-baked (and humorless) film "comedies" lately, this one was an absolute delight. Zellweiger is perfectly delightful as Nurse Betty, a woman in a difficult marriage, secretly smitten with a doctor (played by Greg Kinnear) in her favorite soap opera. When Betty gets hit on the head, she loses her memory and believes she is REALLY living in the soap opera world she loves. While Zellweiger is great, the film needs the performances of the other actors to really carry the whole premise off - and, happily, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, Greg Kinnear and the rest of the cast are rock-solid in their roles. A comedy full of laughs, but also touching and poignant as well.
Rating:
Summary: Nurse Oscar Snub
Review: Renee Zellwegger clearly gave the best performance of the year here and yet erin boobovich walk's away with an Oscar.This movie was pure brilliance and an unspoken gem
Rating: 
Summary: My Life in Avant Garde
Review: 'Nurse Betty' struck me as being willfully pretentious at first, but a few days later I came to realize what a gem this movie is. I certainly would not rate it one of the best films of last year, but I do realize how different and novel the movie is.Renee Zellweger in particular has fascinated me with her choice in roles. No doubt, 'Bridget Jones' Diary' will propel her into superstardom, but its roles like this and her simple turn in 'Jerry Maguire' that make this actress more refreshing than Julia Roberts on a good day. That said, 'Nurse Betty' demands much from its' lead actress and a solid screenplay, and fortunately, it scores high in both departments. Sadly, every film has its' weaknesses, and this one is no different. Some of the acting is sloppy, especially Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock's scenes together. And while Renee steers the movie along at a nice pace, there are moments when you can't help yawning and hoping that something drastic happens soon. And it does. This is a movie with a load of surprises, and though it manages to be heavily cliche-driven, despite the novel subject matter, it does shine when it matters. I got this on DVD the other day and was struck by the brilliant picture transfer, and the wonderful inclusion of 10 mini-episodes of 'A Reason to Love', the fictional soap that Nurse Betty lives to watch. Greg Kinnear is great as a self-obsessed actor (though he does over-play his tantrum scene in the end) and Chris Rock as a fanatical mobman is excellent, if a little scary. But in the end, the film is Renee's. Don't be put off by the cheesy DVD cover art - I looked past that, and found myself enjoying a smart, witty comedy, with shades of dark to counter the cheer, at every turn. Brilliant work, even if a little choppy.
Rating:
Summary: Weird but entertaining - A must see
Review: Alot of people think this movie is just a comedy but it has action, murder, love, and just some plain-out insane scenes! It's very entertaining and you won't even be able to leave the room to re-fill your popcorn bag because you'll miss something - it's a faced paced movie. The story is VERY unique and an excellent concept. I very much enjoyed this movie and I'm sure I'll be watching it again and again in the future :)
Rating: 
Summary: Good actors gone bad...
Review: First off, I was extremely dissapointed by this film. I'm big fans of all the actors in the movie, but none of them, with the exception of Morgan Freeman, gave a satisfying performance. I got the feeling half-way through that they were trying to cram as much plot as they could in the movie, without making it longer. The resulting feeling is confusion, and I was so confused by the end that I've not recommended this to anyone. It's a shame, since it did have some really good parts in it. Over all, this will be a movie you will either love or hate with a passion. I'd wait for this to come on cable before you rent or buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Nurse Betty is "A Reason to Love"!!!
Review: That movie was just spec-tac-ular like Lester Burnham (American Beauty) would say! A great movie, very emotional, wacky, romantic and funny! Renée Zellweger and Morgan Freeman are just great! it's a great story with great actors and a superb script! It may be one of the best pictures of the year 2000! A great picture to watch with your friends. Buy that DVD and yoo will be "Bedazzled"
Rating:
Summary: One of the truly great unseen films of 2000.
Review: After witnessing her husband's murder by two hit men, sweet-natured Betty has a nervous breakdown, becoming convinced that she is a character from her favorite soap opera and sets off to L.A. to meet her long lost love, a doctor on the show. Unfortunately, the car she's driving is loaded with drugs and the hit men are slowly, but surely, tracking her down. This is far from director Neil LaBute's searing social dramas ('In The Company Of Men' and 'Your Friends And Neighbors') but he handles the wacky source material well. In fact 'Nurse Betty' might very well be the single most surprising film of the past year, featuring more unexpected plot twists and absurd revelations then the soap opera it's characters watch religiously. It is in turns fascinating, hilarious, and disturbing. Renee Zellweger is amazing once again, balancing her performance with equal parts tenderness and goofiness. It's clear to see why she was a Golden Globe winner. The film is, in nature, a comedy sparked with players who are all too serious in their performances but quite unexpectedly throw out one-liners in such rapid succession that they always seem THIS CLOSE to being cartoons. This is a story where everything is as false as a television soap opera. The sly leading man (Greg Kinnear) is a total jerk; the stern, older hit man (a great Morgan Freeman) claims to be rooted in instinct yet clearly falls for his prey; the younger apprentice hit man (an out-of-genre yet surprisingly effective Chris Rock) would be terrifying if it weren't for the fact he's so damn laughable. But the film does have it's darker moments. The murder of Betty's husband that sets the film in motion is gruesome and graphic. We are made PAINFULLY aware that Freeman and Rock are killers as they scalp and then shoot poor Aaron Eckhart, and the act reverberates through-out the entire film. The sheer thought of sweet, lovely Betty meeting the same fate as her cheating thief of a husband looms over the action like storm clouds. The final shoot-out of the film centers around a shocking revelation that makes the outcome of the scene all the more devastating. And the final gunshot heard in the film is so startling, happening in the exact moment one character realizes her life has just begun another character's life comes to an end. This film is as light-hearted a comedy as you will find on the rental shelves but it does not lie to the audience about the reprocussions of it's character's actions. It's hard to say whether or not the film has a happy ending, but i will say it ties it up nicely, not sugar-coating the audience, and not letting them off the hook too easily either. It's a terrific film, balenced evenly on comedy and devastation and definitly deserves an audience which, unfortunately, it never found at the theaters. The DVD edition is superb, featuring two commentary tracks and a collection of 'A Reason To Love' episodes (which is the original soap opera created for the movie). The handful of deleted scenes are nice but be forewarned: one of the scenes (entitled 'The Flap') contains an EXTREME scene of violence, easily the most disgusting fatal head wound ever filmed. Seen out of context it is simply shocking and easily one extra I wished I would have just skipped over. But to deny the film would be to deny yourself 110 minutes of pure originality. Neil LaBute scores yet another touchdown.
Rating:
Summary: Great Performances by a Talented Cast
Review: Nurse Betty is a truly original movie. Renee Zellweger plays Betty, a woman who is obsessed with loving the star from her favorite soap opera. When her husband is killed, she loses track of reality, and sets out to Hollywood to find her star. This is a great comedy, and as for Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock also give great comedic performances. This is a hot movie for anyone that likes original bizzare plots, so I'd recommend this DVD for anyone!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: Been a lot of talk about the "originality" and "freshness" of this movie, Neil Labute's first as director only (he scripted his first two films, as well as directing.) But I'm here to give you the low down. It's stupid. I had reservations before actually seeing the film. I'd read about it. Much was made of it's unique plot -- and being fond of Labute, I honestly wanted it to be cool -- but there was a persistant, nagging voice at the back of my head, saying: "It's a dumb idea. Sure, it's original ... I guess ... but it just won't work. It's silly." How let down I was that Neil and the rest of the team couldn't prove that voice wrong! The movie has its merits. For at least the first third of the movie, Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock are a genuine hoot, although the humor is dark, and sometimes subtle. Aaron Eckhart ... well ... I just like seeing him turn up in films in general, no matter how small the role. And Zellweger pulls off the naive charm of her character well. But these things aside, it's more or less a big mess. First of all, the story is entirely unbelievable. Accidentally seeing her husband murdered (let's leave aside that the murder itself feels rather awkward in the context of the movie for now), Betty "snaps" and loses herself in her own internal fantasy world, which is constructed from her favorite soap opera, which happened to be on TV at the time. Uh. Yeah. Let's just say this didn't quite "ring true" to me. But it only gets worse. Betty "accidentally" succeeding in becoming a nurse? And then "accidentally" wooing David Ravell, her favorite soap star, by way of some wacky misunderstandings? Ack. This is the kind of story progression usually reserved for sitcoms. But what's even worse is that it's not very funny. It's just sort of ... odd ... and entirely unbelievable. I sense that we, as an audience, are supposed to "let that go" or be liberal in "suspending reality," because we are supposed to be won over by Betty's innocent, unknowing, uncalculated sweetness, and the magical way it makes everything just sort of happen around her. But to me this just worsened the film's situation. Because now it not only resembled an unfunny sitcom, but a B-grade inspirational children's movie as well. Betty isn't the only problem, though. Morgan Freeman, who starts strong, really loses his flare in the second half as he "falls" for Betty. It just doesn't make any sense in regards to his character, and the film doesn't bother to try to make this change of heart convincing. The rapport with Chris Rock -- which, again, started strong -- falters and loses punch, and by the final half-hour of the movie, it is very difficult to accept the pair as cold-blooded hit men, or ... as much of anything, really. They come off as wasted characters who gradually became obscure and uninteresting throughout the course of the scattershot script. Then there is the climax, after Betty has "come to" (um ... ok) and has been located by the hitmen. It's supposed to be rousing and funny and touching all at once, putting all of the characters who have been on Betty's tail in one room together and having fun with that. But it isn't fun, mainly because none of these characters have been developed in a particularly believable way, and they consequently have no chemistry together. <Sigh.> And that's pretty much that. The only scene in the last two-thirds of the film that came anywhere close to having some real meat was the scene in which Greg Kinnear's character "disillusions" Betty ... it even smacked remotely of "Chad's" scene with Stacy Edwards at the climax of Labute's first movie, "In the Company of Men." But this is hardly enough to make up for the other 100+ minutes. Can't recommend this one in good conscience, I'm afraid. Better luck next time, Neil.
Rating:
Summary: Nurse Betty is fresh and original.
Review: I recommend this movie simply because it was so different from what Hollywood usually gives us. I found this movie mesmerizing. We wanted to cook dinner and watch the movie at the same time, but the story was so compelling that dinner had to wait. I watched this movie with a group of people and all of us were glued to the screen to see what happened next. We all wondered what kept us watching, but whatever it was, we could not miss a word. Renée Zellweger portrays a lonely young woman who views the world and all of its harsh realities with "rose colored glasses". When she witnesses the ghastly & frightening murder of her husband she separates herself from reality and focuses on the only thing in her life that brings her any comfort and that is her television soap opera. Betty believes that she must go to California and find her Doctor. I thought that this was completely in line with her character. Betty has put a positive spin on her entire life up to this point and in the midst of tragedy, the only positives she can find are in an alternate reality, that she creates for herself. She meets several interesting characters in her quest for her fantasy, and they all believe that she is crazy. The entire cast here did an excellent job. Morgan Freeman was outstanding. My biggest criticism of the movie was the language. It did not need ALL of the expletives that were used. I can understand some harsh language tossed in now and again to make a point, but when most of the characters can't seem to articulate a sentence without extreme profanity, I have to wonder where they were educated. Also, I would never consider "Nurse Betty" a comedy. There were some funny parts to this film, but if it is a comedy it is one of the darkest that I have ever seen.
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