Blonde (2022) Review (2024)

I was lucky enough to see Blonde during its limited theatrical release, the Netflix-produced fictionized account of the life and times of Marilyn Monroe adapted from the 1999 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The novel’s description says that it “presents a fictionalized take on the life of American actress Marilyn Monroe” and that “Oates insists that the novel is a work of fiction that should not be regarded as a biography.” I have no problem with this creative decision for the book or movie. I prefer dramatic interpretation over factual account just about every time. I don’t care if a story it’s real or not, I just want it to be interesting.

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This kind of freedom gives director Andrew Dominik license to craft a wide-ranging portrait of the tortured actress’s life, from an orphaned little girl to a traumatized American icon. While Blonde isn’t an outright horror film, there is a throughline of horror as it spotlights the traumatic moments in the actress’s life. It also feels like it could’ve easily been a Twilight Zone episode, with a young starlet becoming world-famous but then being consumed by that same fame and stardom.

The film begins with Monroe, aka, Norma Jeane Baker, as a young girl raised by an abusive, alcoholic mother, played by a convincingly unhinged Julianne Nicholson. She’s told her absent father is actually a famous movie star who will one day return for them, but never reveals his name. This becomes an obsession for Norma Jeane, which will consume her throughout her life. After a series of increasingly manic episodes, her mother is committed, and young Norma Jeane is put up for adoption. Halfway through this fiery opening section, I thought to myself, That’s how you start a movie!

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After this prologue, the film flashes forward as Norma Jeane is given her new blond bombshell moniker and tracks Monroe’s life as she rises from pin-up model to struggling supporting player and finally to superstar, where the film spends the majority of its running time. While Blonde has a relatively linear narrative, it does jump around in Monroe’s life.

These jumps are accompanied by a variety of different cinematic styles to fit the period in her life being depicted, from black and white and colour stocks to alternating aspect ratios. These moments include her multiple marriages and the resulting complications, her traumatic interactions with Hollywood power players, and the pursuit of her goal of becoming a legitimate actress.

“While Blonde has a relatively linear narrative, it does jump around in Monroe’s life.”

A lot of what’s so special about this film isn’t necessarily the events themselves (though they are interesting) but their execution and the way the performances completely dominate the narrative. Ana de Armas (Knives Out, Blade Runner 2049) makes a star turn as the lead. Her performance as Monroe is transcendent. I had heard her strong Spanish-Cuban accent in other films and knew that would be a hurdle for her, but when I actually heard her speak in this film, I was shocked. You can still hear it spill out here and there, especially when she’s being emotional, but overall, de Armas does an exceptional job and inhabits the role so effortlessly. That, combined with how totally transformative her hair and makeup are, meant that there were times when I couldn’t tell her apart from the real Monroe. It was uncanny.

There’s little doubt that de Armas will be a shoo-in for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Regardless of whether she wins, she deserves some form of recognition for this extraordinary performance.

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I suppose I must touch on the controversy surrounding Blonde’s NC-17 rating. Some critics and viewers have labelled the film as obscene, degrading, and deviant. I wasn’t shocked by the movie at all, nor did I think it was gratuitous. It included situations and acts that are completely commonplace in everyday life. I find it very strange that as soon as you talk about those things out loud or put them in the movie, they’re suddenly seen as deviant or obscene.

In this case, the elephant in the room are the film’s many sexually explicit scenes. Far from excessive, these scenes exist to serve the story of a lost, wayward actress spiralling further and further out of control. If they’re uncomfortable to watch, that’s probably the point. Some things can’t be glossed over or simply implied, they have to be shown.

The film’s director perfectly summed up the reasoning behind the film’s direction and rating while speaking to Screen Daily in February 2022, saying: “It’s a demanding movie,” he said. “If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the f*cking audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office.” It’s an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it’s kind of what you want, right?” he continued. “I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story.”

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I saw Benedetta last year in the theatre, which had much more sexually explicit content. Granted, it was released without a rating, but I find it ironic that Blonde got so much flak, as it’s quite tame by comparison. Perhaps both films suffer more from their reputations than their actual content.

I’d wager that a lot of people’s reactions to this movie are based largely on their expectations for it. I was expecting a gritty, brutal drama about Marilyn Monroe, and I left completely satisfied. Dark drama, horror movie, post-modern snuff film; call it what you will, but at the end of the day, Blonde is anything but dull.

Blonde (2022) Review (2024)

FAQs

Did Blonde director respond to criticism? ›

Andrew Dominik on 'Blonde' reaction: “I'm really pleased that it outraged so many people” Australian director Andrew Dominik has responded to the reaction to his Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, saying that he's “really pleased that it outraged so many people.”

What is the criticism of Blonde? ›

The film portrays Marilyn as having had two abortions against her will, with one scene showing her 'talking' to a CGI fetus. Planned Parenthood has since criticised the film for "contributing to anti-abortion propaganda".

What was the point of the movie Blonde? ›

“Blonde” abuses and exploits Marilyn Monroe all over again, the way so many men did over the cultural icon's tragic, too-short life. Maybe that's the point, but it creates a maddening paradox: condemning the cruelty the superstar endured until her death at 36 while also reveling in it.

How much of Blonde was accurate? ›

It goes to fictitious extremes to degrade and humiliate her. In fairness, both director Andrew Dominik and Joyce Carol Oates, who wrote the novel he adapted, have been up front about Blonde being a complete fiction. The locations, clothes and hairdos look right.

What did Andrew Dominik say about Marilyn Monroe? ›

Dominik told audiences at the film festival that modern viewers only want to see women who are "empowered," according to The Hollywood Reporter's Alex Ritman. "Now we're living in a time where it's important to present women as empowered, and they want to reinvent Marilyn Monroe as an empowered woman," Dominik said.

Did the events in Blonde actually happen? ›

While Blonde takes inspiration from real events, figures, and long-held rumors from the actor's life as a jumping point to imagine what Monroe may have thought and felt, the film is by no means a biopic. Like Oates' book, it's a definite work of fiction, dabbling in the experimental and including fantastical elements.

Why did people not like the Blonde movie? ›

And while film critics have been divided, many viewers have taken to social media to say they found the almost three-hour film unwatchable owing to graphic scenes of abuse, violence and rape.

What is the controversy behind Blonde? ›

The abortion scene

A particularly confronting scene depicts Monroe (played by Ana de Armas), undergoing an abortion which features a full-frontal shot and a cartoon depiction of the foetus. While it's been claimed that Monroe did have several abortions in real life, these have never been backed up with hard evidence.

Why does Blonde have a low rating? ›

Based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, Andrew Dominik's Blonde is controversially rated NC-17, due to its depiction of "some sexual content." After the release of its trailer, Blonde further became the subject of criticism due to a consensus that Ana de Armas's accent did not match that of Monroe's.

What did Cass's letter mean in Blonde? ›

Cass would sign each letter with “Your tearful father,” which allowed de Armas' Marilyn Monroe to hold on to the hope that he would return and be a part of her life. Cass' actions are cruel, but he might have written to her because he knew she felt a void in her life due to her father's absence.

Did Cass pretend to be Marilyn's dad? ›

The ending of the film reveals that Cass was the one writing to Jeane, pretending to be her father. He would sign each letter with the line, “Your tearful father,” giving Jeane/Monroe the hope that her father might introduce himself to her one day and look to become a stable part of her life.

What is the bad scene in Blonde? ›

There are two rape scenes in this movie and both of them are very uncomfortable to watch. A woman has several outbursts where she lets out demonic like screams. There is a scene in a mental hospital and we see several patients in straight jackets screaming manically.

What is not true in Blonde? ›

The Blonde Netflix movie true story focuses on Marilyn Monroe's pregnancies at various points in the movie, although they were not always factual. In reality, there is no evidence that Monroe was pregnant during 1953 or that she had an abortion (the depiction of which likely contributed to Blonde's NC-17 rating).

Did Marilyn Monroe have a baby? ›

No. Although Marilyn was married three times (first to James Dougherty, followed by baseball star Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller), she did not have any children before her death in 1962. However, she really wanted to have a family and did have multiple documented pregnancies.

What happened to Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin Jr.? ›

Charlie Chaplin Jr.

The relationship allegedly ended when Charlie caught Marilyn in his brother Sydney's bed. Charlie referenced the affair in his autobiography, and Anthony Summers mentions the relationship in his book Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe.

How true is the beginning of Blonde? ›

At its core, Blonde is based on a work of fiction. Author Joyce Carol Oates published her book, Blonde: A Novel, back in 2000, and Oates makes it very clear that while the subject was real, her book is a work of fiction.

Who are the two guys supposed to be in Blonde? ›

Here's how it goes down in the movie: At an LA Actor's Circle meet-up in 1952, Marilyn meets Cass Chaplin Jr. (played by Xavier Samuel) and Edward “Eddy” G. Robinson Jr. (played by Evan Williams).

What is the point of Blonde the book? ›

Blonde summons, as only fiction can, the violence of being mythologised. Its protagonist insists heroically on her right to be seen and valued as herself; yet her betrayal, her tragedy, is to be extinguished by the ideas others project onto her.

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