evanston_dad Neil LaBute's uneasy blend of thriller and dark comedy is a queasy affair.LaBute doesn't have a light touch at all, which more than anything is what a film like this desperately needs. He begins the movie with a scene of intensely graphic violence, and it's hard to recover from it. You can't sit back and enjoy the film's comedic elements when you're not sure when or if something horrible is going to happen again.Renee Zellweger does her best, but she's in the hands of a director who's out of his element.Grade: C

dave-sturm There's some heavy-duty talent involved in this movie. Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock as a father-son hit team. Greg Kinnear as a soap opera star. Direction by Neil Labute. The brilliant script is by John C. Richards. Well, maybe not everyone if familiar with that guy. But his screenplay is what makes it all work.Renee Zwellweger is front and center. I'd love to say this was her breakout role, but she had been in "Jerry Maguire" four years earlier. Still, I think this movie proved she could carry a movie by herself without Tom Cruise co-starring. She does carry it.How do you classify this movie? Light-hearted romance. No. Black comedy? But it's sweet, kinda. Crime drama. Well, sorta. But really, none of the above. It's about a crazy lady who, without really realizing it, puts her faith in luck. And it pays off. Even if the main character is insanely deluded.Can this work? Zellweger sells it.

secondtake Nurse Betty (2000)This is a sleeper, a dark comedy with enough inventive twists to call to mind The Truman Show but with a greater sense of reality to hold it down. Renee Zellweger is flawless as the naive, sweet, but utterly detached young woman named Betty who is addicted to a soap opera called "A Reason to Love." This seems sweet enough, but her husband is a jerk (totally) and things start to spiral, and get dizzy, as reality even for the viewer starts to shift ground.Not that you are ever confused about what is happening or who the good guys are. The good guys are not Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock, for sure, as this unlikely and comedic father and son duo get involved, incidentally at first, in Betty's strange inner and outer life. A chase of sorts ensues, the soap opera becomes reality, and then reality becomes soap opera. And it's really hilarious and inventive and fast paced.Is it a total work of genius? Probably not. Maybe Charlie Kaufman would have added another twist in there (I'm not sure how), and certainly some of the side characters could have seemed less cardboard, or less awkward as actors. But Zellweger is unbelievable (really, your jaw might drop at how convincing she could play her mental blindness, and her awakening, of sorts). And Morgan Freeman is his usually convincing and engaging self. The utterly disgusting violence of one 20 second scene might turn off some viewers near the beginning, but if you can keep watching, the movie gets better from there. Much better.

Amy Adler Betty Sizemore (Renee Zellweger) is a waitress in a small city in Kansas. Her ogre husband, Del (Aaron Eckhart), a car dealer, keeps her under his thumb at all times, to the point of relentless verbal abuse. Her only escape is the beloved soap opera, A Reason to Love, which features her idol, the saintly and handsome Dr. David (Greg Kinnear). Betty can even pour refills of coffee without taking her eyes from the television screen! Because of her admiration for the show, Betty secretly longs to become a nurse. On the day that her loathsome husband forgets her birthday and her close friend has to cancel plans to take Betty "out on the town" to celebrate, the young waitress returns home to cook dinner, as usual, and then watch her stash of videos from the daytime drama. But, two bad guys show up, Charlie (Morgan Freeman) and his son, Wesley (Chris Rock). It seems Del has dabbled in drugs and double-crossed his connections and now it is time to pay the piper. Unfortunately, Betty witnesses Del's horrific murder (and it is horrific, indeed) and, as a result, she loses her grip on reality. All of a sudden, Betty believes that she IS a nurse and she must travel to California to find Dr. David, so that she can rekindle a love relationship with him. She takes off. But, since she is a material witness in her husband's death and she may have a sack of drugs hidden in her car, too, Charlie and Wesley begin a hot pursuit of our dear Betty. Will they succeed in bumping her off, also? This is a clever film with great performances but it is very violent from time to time. Yes, it was necessary to provide a reason for Betty's dive off the deep end, but for those viewers who detest violence, keep your finger on the fast-forward button of your remote. Zellweger gives a wonderful performance as the kind-hearted Betty while Eckhart loses himself in a smaller role that spells repugnance in capital letters. Freeman, who has played both God and the president, surprises the audience with his role as an aging killer. As for Rock, his turn as an evil, foul-mouthed assassin is revolting, as it should be, I suppose. The scenery is quite nice, as Betty goes through every state from Kansas to California. Costumes, also, are fine and the production looks great. Writer-director Neil LaBute displays a remarkable creativity and pacing as he tells his twisted tale, with the story going out on a high note. In short, if you are a fan of the stars, clever film-making, or offbeat movies, you will admire Nurse Betty. Just be certain you can handle the rough scenes, as they are powerfully stomach-turning.