Rating: 1/5
“Blonde,” a biopic on Marilyn Monroe or ‘Norma Jeane Baker’ directed by Andrew Dominik and based on the book “Blonde” by Joyce Carol Oates, came out on Sept. 16, 2022, with a budget of $22 million. In the film, we see a grossly misconstrued Monroe (Ana de Armas) go through several tragedies from her childhood abuse to her marital abuse. Dominik creates the image of a helpless victim, and for those 2 hours and 46 minutes, the audience is helpless in watching her constantly exploited.
The movie is nothing short of continuous trauma, and the image of Marilyn Monroe as a defenseless damsel. The audience is given an ugly view of a rape scene featuring John F. Kennedy, and secret service agents drugging her. Monroe was closely linked to the Kennedy family, especially the president, but the affair was mostly speculation, with James Spada, her masseuse, even claiming that he was told “it happened once, that weekend, and that was that.” In addition to a horrific rape scene, Dominik goes on to portray an anti-abortion stance through the plotline in which Monroe gets three nonconsensual abortions, something which pro-lifers have always been claiming as a reason to ban abortion. It was very disturbing to watch. The film even goes as far as to show a creepy CGI in which a fetus starts asking Monroe why she killed it, with a child’s voiceover to match. This can only be described as distasteful in light of the overturning of Roe v Wade, and disrespects the miscarriages the actual actress had to face.
There are many false events that primarily portray Monroe in a negative light, starting with the opening sequence of the film in which she gets raped by a studio executive, whispering a mantra herself to dissociate. I was only left shocked and disturbed at how easily they tarnished her image. Not only was it disrespectful to imply that Monroe could only rise to fame through these means, it was highly ironic since Monroe herself had co-written an article called “Wolves I Have Known,” in which she mentioned an event involving a casting couch and a director that had harassed her. However, there was no mention of rape.
Throughout the movie, there is a constant theme in which Dominik tries to expose the dark side of Hollywood while overshadowing Monroe’s actual accomplishments. It’s incredibly sad how we were robbed of the witty woman who owned 400 books, and of the independent business woman who created the Marilyn Monroe corporations. There is no mention of any female friends, such as Ella Fitzgerald, or Amy Greene, as the film mostly centers on her relationships with her lovers. Instead of an ambitious woman, we see a “little girl” dressed in the wardrobe of a Hollywood superstar. Marilyn Monroe is much more than the constantly repeated image of the passive victim.
In spite of de Armas’ acting, the film reinforces the sexist idea of men claiming ownership of Monroe. Whether it is her leering fans from the famous “Dress Scene” or her husband, Joe Dimaggio (Bobby Canavale) trying to control her acting career, Monroe has no autonomy. The film critiques and succeeds in the reduction of her to a sex symbol. In a way, the director simply reinforces the status quo and continues to perpetuate it under the guise of exposing the dark sides of vintage Hollywood.
“Blonde” seems to suggest that the only time Monroe was happy was in fictitious relationships with Charlie Chaplin Jr. and Edward G. Robinson, nicknamed Cass and Eddy. While Monroe had dated both men, both affairs were separate, and unlike the film she never announced any pregnancies during that time. These inaccuracies, especially regarding important aspects of her life, are what continue to make the movie feel so alien.
Overall, “Blonde” is a pretentious, unnecessarily sexual, and disrespectful fanfiction of Marilyn Monroe’s life. There are many false events that primarily portray Monroe in a negative light and the film does not fully grasp her inner thoughts and perspective on life. It is a caricature of her life, straight out of a male fantasy with the only positive being beautiful cinematography. The main character cannot accurately be described as either Marilyn Monroe nor Norma Jeane Baker. Monroe once said, “Please don’t make me a joke,” and this movie has gone above and beyond to portray her as just that.