Ep807: BLONDE (2022) - Movie Review
In adapting Joyce Carol Oates' 2000 novel, Blonde, writer/director Andrew Dominik presents a harrowing portrait of a celebrity caught in a decades-long cycle of mental illness, physical abuse, and exploitation.
Ana de Armas stars as Marilyn Monroe in a nearly three-hour series of sketches pulled from the actress' life, including a traumatic childhood, several failed marriages, two abortions, and one miscarriage--not to mention violent on-set freak-outs and endless visions of leering, pawing, powerful men.
In this spoilerific review, Ian and David break down what works about Blonde as a purely cinematic experience--and take it to task for a relentless mean streak that may leave some audiences members struggling to finish the whole thing, and others struggling to suppress their laughter at the over-the-top (hopefully unintentional) misogyny that categorically defies the filmmaker's intent.
They also talk accents, fact-versus-fiction, and the "real" Marilyn Monroe!
Show Links:
Watch the Blonde trailer.
Follow David's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.
Read Entertainment Weekly's article, "8 Marilyn Monroe Books to Read After You Watch Blonde".
Read Collider's article on the differences between Oates' novel and Dominik's film (referenced in the discussion).
Watch Ian's interview with Alexandra Dean, in which they talk about her excellent Paris Hilton documentary, This is Paris (referenced in the discussion).
Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!
