Blonde review :
A supposed biopic on the Hollywood diva Marilyn Monroe; Blonde has a scene where a group of snobbish oldies ask a young Monroe if her blonde hair is real? To which he hesitantly replies No. The moment is given a surreal touch depicting the insecurities of a star who had faced a troubled childhood and was a lonely loser beneath all that gloss and glamour.
The film's biggest positive is of course Ana De Armas who literally gets in to the skin of the titular character. Her transformation from the diffident Norma Jeane to the movie star Marilyn is truly incredible and full marks to her for getting it bang on...brilliant indeed!
Director Andrew Dominik doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of Monroe's life whether it was her blatant exploitation by the filmmakers of that era or her illicit relationship with the President of United States. It's all there and in all its gory details!! Marilyn's "threesome" relationship is also explored uninhibitantly.
On the flipside, the pacing is super slow and some scenes just don't make any sense. Like Norma hallucinating an abortion. Also, Monroe's (in)famous skirt blowing moment in The Seven Year Itch (1955) is filmed in multiple angles here with her undergarments on full display reeking of cheap titillation. Ooff!
With all its plus and cons, Blonde aint too bad for a Netflix watch. It could've been a far better movie though.
Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.
A supposed biopic on the Hollywood diva Marilyn Monroe; Blonde has a scene where a group of snobbish oldies ask a young Monroe if her blonde hair is real? To which he hesitantly replies No. The moment is given a surreal touch depicting the insecurities of a star who had faced a troubled childhood and was a lonely loser beneath all that gloss and glamour.
The film's biggest positive is of course Ana De Armas who literally gets in to the skin of the titular character. Her transformation from the diffident Norma Jeane to the movie star Marilyn is truly incredible and full marks to her for getting it bang on...brilliant indeed!
Director Andrew Dominik doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of Monroe's life whether it was her blatant exploitation by the filmmakers of that era or her illicit relationship with the President of United States. It's all there and in all its gory details!! Marilyn's "threesome" relationship is also explored uninhibitantly.
On the flipside, the pacing is super slow and some scenes just don't make any sense. Like Norma hallucinating an abortion. Also, Monroe's (in)famous skirt blowing moment in The Seven Year Itch (1955) is filmed in multiple angles here with her undergarments on full display reeking of cheap titillation. Ooff!
With all its plus and cons, Blonde aint too bad for a Netflix watch. It could've been a far better movie though.
Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.