Nurse Betty (2000) [R]

This movie is a little odd. Not a comedy for the kiddies, because the frame around the movie includes blood, drugs, and hitmen. I have the thought that there is no blood in any comedy other than black comedy, but this movie is a good argument against my theory, as it is a romp.

Renee Zellweger is Betty, who after witnessing the murder of her husband, becomes delusional and heads for Los Angeles to find her former finance, Dr. David Ravell,  who is a character on a soap opera who is played George McCord, who is played by Greg Kinnear. Betty is followed to LA by the two hitmen (Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock, who, of course, do their amusing bickering thing) looking for the drugs her husband hid in the trunk of her car. 

Renee is perfect in the role as a naive innocent who, unaware of her husband's illegal double life, is just as believing that Dr. Ravell is a real person who has a history with her.

The movie has all sorts of twists and surprises and ties up perfectly at the end. Neil LaBute, a director with a reputation for movies that are usually pretty bitter, has a light touch here, although he does make sure that violent reality keeps intruding, which somehow works!

DIRECTOR: Neil LaBute.   CAST: Morgan Freeman, Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock, Greg Kinnear, aaron Eckhart, Tia Texada, Crispin Glover, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Allison Janney, Kathleen Wilhoite, Sheila Kelley.

AWARDS: Won Golden Globe. Another 4 wins and 12 nominations.