Movie Cosmos - Nurse Betty

Description:

What happens when a person decides that life is merely a state of mind? If you're Betty, a small-town waitress and soap opera fan from Fair Oaks, Kansas, you refuse to believe that you can't be with the love of your life just because he doesn't really exist. After all, life is no excuse for not living. Traumatized by a savage event, Betty enters into a fugue state that allows -- even encourages -- her to keep functioning... in a kind of alternate reality.

Top Cast >

Morgan Freeman

As Charlie

Renée Zellweger

As Betty

Chris Rock

As Wesley

Greg Kinnear

As Dr. David Ravell

Aaron Eckhart

As Del

Tia Texada

As Rosa

Crispin Glover

As Roy

Pruitt Taylor Vince

As Ballard

Allison Janney

As Lyla

Kathleen Wilhoite

As Sue Ann

Elizabeth Mitchell

As Chloe

Susan Barnes

As Darlene

Harriet Sansom Harris

As Ellen

Sung-Hi Lee

As Jasmine

Laird Macintosh

As Dr. Lonnie Walsh

Steven Gilborn

As Blake

Jenny Gago

As Mercedes

Sheila Kelley

As Joyce

Matthew Cowles

As Merle

Wayne Tippit

As Doctor

George D. Wallace

As Grandfather

Lesley Woods

As Grandmother

Cynthia Martells

As Chief Nurse

Alfonso Freeman

As ER Doctor

Kevin Rahm

As Friend #1

Steven Culp

As Friend #2

Deborah May

As Gloria Walsh

Max Murphy

As Studio Guard

Tina Smith

As Waitress

T.J. Kennedy

As Cook

Irene Olga López

As Rosa's Mother

Steve Franken

As Administrator

Kelwin Hagen

As Deputy

Josh Dotson

As Parking Valet

Dona Hardy

As Woman Patient

Paul Threlkeld

As Grip

José Vásquez

As Gang Member

Jack Jacobson

As Stagehand

Elaine Corral Kendall

As Anchor

Greg Bronson

As Diner Patron (uncredited)

Michelle Carmen Gomez

As Woman at Bar (uncredited)

Toby Linz

As Sue Ann's Son (uncredited)

Hillary Straney

As Woman in Hotel (uncredited)

Jenny Wade

As Diner Waitress (uncredited)

Top Crew >

Neil LaBute

Director

Rolfe Kent

Original Music Composer

John C. Richards

Screenplay, Story

Joel Plotch

Editor

Jean-Yves Escoffier

Director of Photography

Steve Golin

Producer

Albert M. Shapiro

First Assistant Director, Associate Producer

Susan J. Hellmann

Second Assistant Director

Jack Gill

Stunts

Tracy Farrington

Property Master

Thomas Cunliffe

Boom Operator

Shari Gray

Costume Supervisor

Mynka Draper

Costumer

Steven F. Nelson

Sound Editor

Eddie Bydalek

Sound Recordist

Felipe Borrero

Sound Mixer

Richard Puga

Standby Painter

Dan Valliere

Color Timer

Larry J. White II

Leadman

Scott Julion

Hairstylist

Michael Bauman

Gaffer

Martin Bosworth

Rigging Gaffer

Antonio Molina

Transportation Coordinator

Lance Brown

Sound Designer, Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Phil Hardage

Second Second Assistant Director

Jennifer Dozier

Costumer

Robert Troy

Sound Editor

Sean Rowe

Foley Artist

Scott Workman

Stunts

Todd McMullen

First Assistant Camera

Wade Bartlett

Assistant Editor

Bernard Weiser

Sound Editor

Tim Tuchrello

Assistant Sound Editor

Shawn Kennelly

ADR Mixer, Foley Mixer

Kevin Scott

Stunts

Lisa Deveaux

Makeup Artist

Richard E. Yawn

Supervising Sound Editor

Joan Rowe

Foley Artist

Nick South

Music Editor, Editor

Philip Steuer

Second Unit Director, Executive Producer

Colleen Callaghan

Hairstylist

Eric L. Roberts

Video Assist Operator

Steve Mann

Sound Editor

Barbara Harris

ADR Voice Casting

Michael A. Chavez

Camera Operator

Deena Adair

Hairstylist

Nour Dardari

Production Accountant

Bruce Birmelin

Still Photographer

Donald L. Warner Jr.

Sound Editor

Chris David

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

William T. Stromberg

Conductor

Paul Threlkeld

Dolly Grip

Bob Beher

Foley Supervisor

Andre Blaise

Key Hair Stylist

Mo Henry

Negative Cutter

Melissa Mollo

Graphic Designer

Sharon Ilson

Makeup Artist

Jorge H. Guzman

Key Grip

Chris Staszak

ADR Recordist

Desne J. Holland

Key Makeup Artist

Eric Thompson

ADR Mixer, Foley Mixer

Dean Lyras

Second Unit Director of Photography

Michael Cassidy

Second Assistant Camera

Robin Bursey

Camera Loader

Michael Hancock

Makeup Artist

Becky Sullivan

Supervising ADR Editor

Shawn Egan

Assistant Sound Editor

Thor Benitez

ADR Recordist

Larz Anderson

Special Effects Coordinator

Charlie Brewer

Stunt Coordinator

Randy Trager

Assistant Editor

Aaron D. Weisblatt

Sound Editor

Tony Blondal

Orchestrator

Simone Boisseree

Stunts

David A. Armstrong

First Assistant Camera

Tim Gilbert

Stunts

Fabiomassimo Dell'Orco

Production Manager

Leah Buono

Casting Assistant

James Flamberg

Screenplay

Charles William Breen

Production Design

Tim Clawson

Unit Production Manager

Monika Mikkelsen

Casting

Gail Mutrux

Producer

Lynette Meyer

Costume Design

Henry Alberti

Set Designer

Brett Greenstein

Casting Assistant

W. Mark McNair

Associate Producer

Stan Tropp

Set Designer

Enrico Latella

Location Manager

Alexa Alden

Script Supervisor

Karen Ruth Getchell

Production Coordinator

Stephen Pevner

Executive Producer

Heidi Levitt

Casting

Gary Diamond

Art Direction

Jeffrey Kushon

Set Decoration

Frankie Pine

Music Supervisor

Chris Sievernich

Executive Producer

Steven Weisberg

Editor

Moritz Borman

Executive Producer

Steven Kaminsky

Post Production Supervisor

John Panzarella

Location Manager

Reviews:

Wuchak (6/10)

Oddball dramedy about two people in love with their unreal fantasies

A small town waitress in Kansas (Renée Zellweger) is married to a jerk car salesman, but enjoys a soap opera in which she fantasies about the hero-doctor on the show (Greg Kinnear). Meanwhile a criminal duo (Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock) chases the woman to Los Angeles whereupon the leader seems to develop a thing for her.

"Nurse Betty" (2000) is part dramedy, part road movie, part crime drama, part romcom and part black comedy. While it's rarely laugh-out loud, it's pretty consistently amusing. What throws it off is that it's such an eccentric mixture viewers don't know how to take it, especially with a fairly radical scalping sequence (and I don't mean scalping tickets). It helps, though, when you grasp that the movie's about Betty and Charlie and their romantic idealism of people they've never met.

At the end of the day this is an offbeat Tarantino-esque flick that's half-good and half-meh. The "meh" reaction is mostly due to its curiosities. Thankfully, it has depth and plays better on repeat viewings.

The movie runs about one hour, 50 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles; Durango, Colorado; Grand Canyon, Arizona; and Rome, Italy (closing scene).

GRADE: B-/C+

2023-12-06