The fictional biopic Blonde, written and directed by Andrew Dominik, finally hit Netflix, but the reception was far from golden.
The film began airing last week, and while many viewers were dying to see it, many were disappointed with the content.
Blonde
Blonde, starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe, follows the 2000 novel by Joyce Carol Oates.
It’s the first Netflix original to have a strong adult-only rating, one of the rarest ratings on the streaming platform.
The film premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in early September before hitting theaters on September 16.
Once the film was streamed, it was met with mixed reviews from critics, with viewers saying they regretted seeing it and warning others to avoid the film.
Audience response
According to some viewers, Blonde’s treatment of sexual assaults and trauma was unsuccessful.
Many took to Twitter to express their disgust, share regrets, and warn others to skip the movie.
“Shame on the producers of #Blonde how to degrade and humiliate a woman. #disgusting I’m sorry I watched it,” wrote one user.
“I watched blonde [sic] on Netflix and I have mixed feelings. Great acting but the movie in general.. terrifying,” another wrote.
“The way Marilyn was treated by men and this industry…the story they showed is HORRIBLE. it’s a horror movie. I’m traumatized and heartbroken. I didn’t like it.”
A third user agrees with the horror vibe, writing:
“Enjoyed is not the word I’d use for #BlondeNetflix it is utterly horrible. Kermode might have been right to view this one as a horror.”
“I’ve no idea about Marilyn’s life and this is based on a book of fiction, so don’t consider this a biopic,” they continued.
“Watch it and make up your own mind.”
A Twitter user tried to watch the movie but couldn’t finish it.
“Couldn’t stomach more than about 20 minutes of the nearly three hours length,” they wrote.
“That 20 minutes was nothing but cruel and heartbreaking. Absolutely unwatchable.”
Critical reception
Although the public response has been negative, industry reviews have shown mixed reviews, either average or below average.
IMDb takes a more forgiving view than Blonde at 5.7/10.
Metacritic gives the film a 49% rating.
Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes has over 222 reviews that gave Blonde 43%.
Ana de Armas
Marilyn Monroe actress Ana de Armas has already talked about the nude scenes she shot for the film before its release on September 28.
She sat down with Variety and said it was “disgusting” that clips of her nude scenes would likely go viral after the movie was released.
“It’s upsetting to think about it. I can’t control it; you can’t really control what they do and how they take things out of context,” said de Armas.
“I don’t think it gave me second thoughts; it just gave me a bad taste to think about the future of those clips.”
Reference:
People are regretting watching Blond and warning others to avoid it
