NURSE BETTY
US, 2000, 110 minutes, Colour.
Morgan Freeman, Renee Zelwegger, Chris Rock, Greg Kinnear, Aaron Eckhart, Tia Texada, Crispin Glover, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Alison Jannie, Kathleen Wilhoite.
Directed by Neil La Bute.
Over 50 years ago George Orwell's 1984 described Big Brother invading personal privacy and watching individuals no matter where they were. Could he have imagined that in 2000 over 6,000,000 people would be watching "Big Brother" with a nation absorbed in eviction crises and nasty competitive tactics?
It has now become the dictatorship of the TV audience rather than that of Big Brother and his bureaucracy.
Strangely enough, several films have been released at the end of the 1990s which offered serious, sometimes satirical comment on this TV versus life phenomenon - enough films to illustrate a course on what television can do to us.
'The Truman Show' had Jim Carrey's life being a non-stop soap opera running for his whole life unbeknown to him. By contrast, 'ED TV' was more like "Big Brother" with Woody Harrelson agreeing to his life being made a continuous
television program. In 'Pleasantville', 90s people were sent back into a 50s black and white sitcom and persuaded the TV characters there that they could come alive and literally put colour into their lives.
Melanie Griffith starred in 'Crazy in Alabama'. Set in the 60s, she killed her unloving husband and went off to LA to star on TV - and succeeded. This week's film, Nurse Betty, is in this satiric vein. But it is one more American film that has something to show us about our television addictions and fantasies.
This is a very clever satire, directed with bite by the previously rather misogynist Mormon playwright Neil La Bute (In the Company of Men, Your Neighbours and Mine), might baffle audiences who are not used to modern styles of combining all kinds of movie traditions to make their points. In fact, early in Nurse Betty there is a rather graphic and off-putting murder. But there is much more to the
film than that.
Betty is a midwest waitress with an abominable salesman husband (which means that we are not entirely unsympathetic to his murder). But she is traumatised by it all and is sustained only by her love for a particular TV hospital soap and the star doctor (Greg Kinnear in a good sport performance). The trouble is she believes it is all true and she makes her way to Los Angeles to claim him and fulfil her dreams.
Sometimes hot (and sometimes cold) on her trail are the two hitmen. You can imagine what happens - well, at least some of it, because the filmmakers have the courage of their convictions and play it for a mixture of laughs, send-up, romance and violence. For audiences who like this kind of clever concoction, there is much to enjoy, though for everyone concerned it is tongue-in-cheek.
Renee Zellwegger shows how skilful she is in making the unbelievable Betty almost credible. Morgan Freeman is the main hitman and so gives the film a gravity it might not otherwise have.
So, the movies are satirising television and satirising audiences. Not a bad way of making points about the oddities in contemporary society.
1. Entertaining? Critical acclaim? Awards? A piece of satiric Americana? Satire on American television? Television audiences and sensibilities?
2. The Kansas locations, the town, the travels across the United States, Arizona, Los Angeles? The archetypal American journey? The references to Dorothy out of Kansas? The Grand Canyon? Los Angeles and TV world?
3. The musical score, the use of ‘Que Sera Sera’?
4. Del’s story: Kansas, car salesman, his work, his relationship with his secretary, relationship with his wife, his chauvinistic attitude, ignoring her birthday, waiting for his guests, his comment on the people of the town being stupid, the challenge to him by Charlie and Wesley about stupid people, his condemnation of the Indians, the discussions about scalping, Wesley scalping him? Charlie having to shoot him dead? Betty and her being in the next room, opening the door, glimpsing what had happened? The traumatic shock, obliterating her memories, in denial? The police and their examination, Sheriff Elden and his search, reaction to Betty, Roy and his reporting for the paper, his devotion to Betty?
5. The opening with the scenes from A Reason to Love, Betty and her absorption, serving the coffee to Charlie and Wesley, the birthday celebration from the staff, the cut-out of George? Her going to visit Sueanne, not being able to go out? Her watching the television at home, the trauma? Her rewinding to David’s appeal that there was someone out there for him? In denial, packing and leaving, going to Sueanne? The note for Del?
6. Her quest, the reality and unreality, her stopping in Arizona, the phone calls to Sueanne, the talk to the woman at the counter, sharing her hopes, weaving the story about her engagement to David? Her travelling, the interview, her trying to get a job as a nurse, going out and walking into the accident, her heroics, clearing the blood from the patient’s throat, its squirting all over her, the media coverage? Her being offered a job? Her meeting with Rosa, helping Rosa and her family, their taking her into the house? The discussions with Rosa, the quest, searching Los Angeles for David?
7. Rosa, her family, Hispanic background? Talk, helping her search, discovering the truth? Getting her the tickets, taking her to the social function to meet David?
8. The introduction to Charlie and Wesley, in the Kansas town, having the coffee, amazed at Betty serving the coffee while watching the television? Their visit to Del, professional killers, the confrontation, Charlie and his elegant conversation, Wesley and his flying off the handle? The discussion about stupidity, Indians, scalping? Wesley and his scalping Del? Charlie and the reasons for shooting Del? Their trying to find the car with the drugs? Posing as insurance men, the various interviews, Sueanne, getting the information, the information about Arizona? Their going to visit Betty’s parents? The parents as hard-cases – and their comment that the mother would have hired a killer to kill Del, not Betty? The drive through the countryside, listening to the music, Charlie and his fantasies about Betty, putting her on a pedestal? Wesley, hinting that she was merely a housewife? The Grand Canyon, Wesley not looking, Charlie and his imagining Betty and their rendezvous at the Grand Canyon? Wesley and his interest in Jasmine in the soap opera? The interaction, the complaints, finally getting to Los Angeles? Using their instincts, the last possibility? Charlie and his philosophy about Americans, fair play, blackness? Wesley and his persuading the guard to let him go on the set?
9. The television soap opera, the plotline? The characters, the caricatures, the romantic doctor, the nurse, the betrayal, the harassment case? Its style? Betty and her infatuation with David? Going to Los Angeles for him? The encounter at the party, her speaking the lines, Lila Branch and here amazement, the other producers? Letting Betty go on with the performance? George and his being fascinated? His going out with her? Her staying in character? The effect on George? The three days, persuading Lila that she should perform and be spontaneous? Her going into the set, her freezing?
10. The performance, the freezing, George and his attack on her, abusing her, the sense of reality, coming to her senses? Remembering?
11. Charlie and Wesley, on the set, Wesley wanting to see Jasmine? The meeting with George, the discussions, about Betty and her fanaticism? The information about Rosa’s place, the arrival, the guns, Wesley’s attitude, the gun with the group? Charlie and Betty? The sheriff and Roy arriving?
12. Charlie and Betty, the talk, his affirmation of her, his getting the gun from her – and his death? His grief over Wesley’s death?
13. Wesley, the argument about Jasmine, a lesbian? Watching the TV, the sheriff with the extra gun, the fight, the shooting of Wesley? Roy and his infatuation with Rosa?
14. The ending, George being in the restaurant, his being insulted by Betty, his offering her the job? Her performance – and everybody watching? Sueanne, the staff at the diner, all her friends?
15. Betty finally in Rome, the television going, the waiter and the cheque? The end of the fairy tale – and her studying to become a nurse? How effective a comedy? Satire on things American?
