Dir: Neil LaBute
Starring
Rene Zellweger
Morgan Freeman
Chris Rock
Greg Kinnear
Tia Texada
2000
R, 109 m
RATING: 7 out of 10
When soap opera obsessed waitress Betty Sizemore witnesses her insensitive husband's murder by two hitmen (Freeman and Rock), she snaps and thinks the cast member on "A Reason To Love" are real. She decides to travel to Los Angeles to find famed heart specialist Dr. David Ravell (a character on the show).
As the two oddly paired hitmen, the caustic Rock and pontificatiing Freeman generate some very fun chemistry, though it would have been great if they'd have played against type and switched characters, since they are basically in typecast roles, as is Greg Kinnear also has fun with his smarmy offscreen persona (again, typecast). Renee Zellweger turns in an innocent, candy-coated, and sometimes terribly sweet in its earnestness performance as Nurse Betty. She exudes goodness, warmth, and is irresistible. While the script sometimes feels like an extended sit-com, is filled with sometimes unbelievable characters and contrived situations, Zellweger is do likeable and so utterly disarming that it all comes together.
With just a few splashes of black comedy to keep thing edgily interesting, a winning performance from Zellweger, a great supporting cast (including the fiery Tia Texada) and a competent script, Nurse Betty ends up as an utterly delightful comedy.
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