Blonde
Release Year: 2022
Directed By: Andrew Dominik
Starring: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuels, Julianne Nicholson
In September 2022, Netflix had the perfect storm of a controversial show and a controversial movie taking up both top spots in the top 10 charts. Of course, that show was Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and the movie was Blonde.
Based on the biographical fiction novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde uses certain creative liberties to retell the life and career of beloved Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. Ana de Armas steps into the iconic shoes of Marilyn and tracks her rise to stardom. Once more for emphasis, the film is a work of fiction based on a work of fiction.
Upon release, Blonde received criticism for its depiction of Marilyn’s trauma among other things. A lot of critics and viewers called the film exploitative and didn’t agree with the message coming across through its storytelling. However, de Armas’ performance of the late star was praised.
Whether you watched out of curiosity from all of the buzz or you checked it out because you’re a fan of either Marilyn Monroe or Ana de Armas, you might have already checked out the polarizing fictional biopic. But if you haven’t, it’s safe to say that based on all the chatter, it’s best to skip Blonde and add a different movie to your watch list.
Verdict: SKIP