Mom's Minute

 

 

 

Introduction to Blonde: A Netflix Movie Review

 

It has been a few weeks since I watched the Marilyn Monroe Blonde movie on Netflix. Since that time, I’ve had time to reflect on what I really think about the Netflix Blonde movie which stars Ana de Armas as the legendary Marilyn Monroe.

 

What about you?  Should  you watch the Netflix film, Blonde or pass on this movie?

 

Check out my Netflix movie review of the film Blonde to find out.

 

By the way, the Netflix Blonde movie is rated NC-17 and should not be watched by anyone under 17 years of age.

 

Synopsis of Blonde Netflix Movie

 

The Netflix movie, Blonde, centers around the life and times of the actor Marilyn Monroe – from her start as a little girl named Norma Jeane Baker from Bakersvflle, CA to the iconic Hollywood star who became Marilyn Monroe. 

 

The first part of the movie focuses on the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and her mother as well as the mental health issues her mother faced which led to her mother later being committed to a mental institution, where she stayed for quite some time.

 

 In the meantime, Norma Jeane Baker was shifted around from orphanage to orphanage even though in her mind she was not an orphan, since she had both a mother and a father. In reality, her mother was in a mental institution unable to care for her and her father was estranged from her – even though in the Netfiix movie, Blonde, he returned for a short while. 

 

The Netflix Blonde movie storyline progresses to Marilyn Monroe becoming a pinup model and later an actor, and in the end, she became an icon who many still know her as one of the most famous and well-known movie stars of all time.

 

Realism of the Blonde Netflix Movie

 

If you are familiar with the real-life background of Marilyn Monroe, you will realize that quite a bit of her life history was ceremonously left out of the Netflix movie Blonde.  Also, you will discover that probably for dramatic purposes, lots of events involving the rise of Mariyn Monroe to stardom were fabricated or embellished.

 

Therefore, if you watched Blonde, you are seeing snippets of what was going on in her life – some factual, but many were not. 

 

 In fact, I will say that the writer and director leaned heavily on the tragic events Marilyn Monroe experienced in her life and took them almost to the horror level.

 

First – The Omissions in the Blonde Netflix Movie

 

–There was no mention or sighting of Marilyn Monroe’s first husband who she married at an early age to stop from being on the merry-go-round of living in orphanages and foster homes.

 

–Marilyn Monroe spent a lot of time with her acting teacher who was with her constantly as Marilyn Monroe always wanted to be a professional at acting. Her acting teacher was not mentioned or shown on film. You will see Marilyn Monroe's character sitting in the midst of other students -- but her dedicated acting teacher seems to be nonexistent.

 

–For years before his own passing, Joe Dimaggio, who was married to Marilyn Monroe briefly –  laid flowers on Marilyn Monroe’s final resting place. He was mentioned as a sports figure, but not by name in the movie.

 

Second - The Embellishments

 

-There are inklings of a horror film if you watch certain parts of the Blonde Netflix movie. For example, there is a scene where Marilyn Monroe grew tired of hearing rings from the telephone. She angrily places the ringing phone in a dresser drawer, closes the drawer but it keeps ringing. 

 

 Within a short time, the ringing becomes the sound of a  baby crying which– was sort of horror-like for me.  I guess this drawer scene was added to the movie since earlier scenes in the film show that when she was a baby, her mother laid her in a dresser drawer instead of a crib.

 

-There were at least two scenes that showed Marilyn Monroe screaming loudly in a gritty voice which in my opinion was unlike Marilyn Monroe's character.  As you may know, Marilyn Monroe was known for her whispery voice, which I think matched her personality. To make a long story short, Marilyn Monroe angrily screaming at the top of her lungs as she leaves a room full of people probably never happened.

 

-Last but not least, there is a scene in the Netflix Blonde movie where Marilyn Monroe is seen talking to someone on the phone about the disparity of pay that she received for her role in a movie versus what was paid to her singing and dancing partner Jane Russell.

 

To me, It is highly unlikely that this event happened since from my purview, Marilyn Monroe wanted recognition for her acting skills more so than the money that came with being a movie star.

 

-An almost comical but sad scene is when the drug dealer is putting makeup on Ana de Armas' character – Marilyn Monroe with a brush while leaning over her and soothingly talking in a calming voice. In my opinion, it is questionable that this scene actually happened.

 

Assessment of Blonde Netflix Movie

 

I think that the actor Ana de Armas did an adequate job of playing the character of Marilyn Monroe. That being said, when I watched the Netflix movie, Blonde, I saw the actor Ana de Armas playing the role of Marilyn Monroe instead of the character, Marilyn Monroe, herself being depicted.

 

 I liked that the storyline started from when Marilyn Monroe was young and stretched to when she became a legendary movie star. On the other hand, I was not a fan of the movie Blonde because of all of the untruths that were either added or omitted from the film for dramatic effects.

 

Additionally, I noticed that the emphasis of the Netflix movie, Blonde  is on  the tragic side of Marilyn Monroe’s life which I think could have been easily balanced with some, no matter how few of her happier moments. 

 

The above being said, a while back I wrote an article about Marilyn Monroe which you may want to check out where I chronicled the life of Marilyn Monroe.

 

Marilyn-Monroe-Her-Beautiful Yet Tragic-Story

 

Yes, There was tragedy and sadness in Marilyn Monroe’s life, but there is also inspiration in knowing that to this day, and possibly for many years to come, Marilyn Monroe's name is one that will be forever known and etched in the history of iconic Hollywood movie stars. 

 

Movies such as Blonde and many others will continue to keep Marilyn Monroe a well known figure whose notoriety flourished during the golden age of Hollywood cinema. – no matter how many years ago that may have been. For that reason, I give kudos to the making of the Netflix movie, Blonde.

 

If you would like to watch a movie inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s life, I recommend you watch the Blonde Netflix film starring Anna de Armis. If you want to know the true story of the life of Marilyn Monroe, there are a sleuth of references, documentaries, etc. available to you that you may want to check out.

 

Personally, I watched the Netflix movie Blonde – not for the historical correctness of the film but to see some reenactments of some of her most famous moments captured. You may want to watch the Netflix movie, Blonde for the same or similar reasons.

 

Rating of Blonde Netflix Movie

 

Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Blonde Netflix movie 3 stars.